TACOMA, Wash. — What would you do if your child was picked up from school by someone you didn’t know, and you watched via GPS as they were driven farther and farther away?
A Puyallup family lived through that ordeal last week.
Thankfully, Tara and Joseph Forest can breathe a sigh of relief now that their 11-year-old son, Joseph Jr., is back home safe.
Last Thursday, the family didn’t know who their child was with for more than an hour.
Joseph Jr. is non-verbal, and he was placed in the wrong car after school at Emerald Learning Center in Tacoma.
It was a massive miscommunication, the family said.
“I’m honestly hoping to get that school shut down,” Tara said.
It started when Tara’s daughter was supposed to pick up her brother on April 16.
Instead, a staff member placed him in a similar-looking SUV of a driver who was taking a different kid home. All without asking that driver for any ID or verification.
“They didn’t identify the driver. They’re supposed to have very strict guidelines, especially when you’re dealing with kids with higher needs that are non-verbal,” Tara said.
“There was no sort of identification process. They just put him in the car, they thought the car looked familiar, and that was it.”
In total, he was gone for about an hour and 15 minutes, with someone they didn’t even know.
In the midst of the mix-up, Forest called 911. Officers were on site when her son was returned.
The mistake raised concerns about student safety and supervision, especially for those who are vulnerable or have special needs.
Tara says she didn’t get a call from the school until nearly an hour later. The whole episode has left the family incensed.
“I would recommend any parent of a non-verbal kid put a tracking device on their kid. It’s better safe than sorry. It really is,” Tara said.
When asked for comment on the incident, Emerald Learning Center said:
“We generally don’t make comments on our students. In this case, the student was never released to a stranger. The student was placed with another driver of another school district. The student was returned to school by the driver safely. The staff member responsible for the mistake was fired. Current protocols for pick-up procedures have been reinforced and reemphasized to staff.”
Meanwhile, the family has taken Joseph Jr. out of Emerald Learning Center.
They also say they’re currently exploring alternative opportunities for school, while weighing their legal options.