Indy mother says daughter was left behind during school trip to apple orchard

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis mother is speaking out after she says her daughter was left at a Hancock County Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch.

“I just couldn’t believe what was going on, I just went into a panic mode,” Dearra Allen told WRTV.

Allen says her daughter was on a field trip last week to Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield.

WRTV

She says she received a call from Christel House West Academy saying her 6-year-old daughter had been accidentally left at the orchard.

“I told her that there was no way that you did a head count because if you did, you would have counted my daughter,” Allen said.

WRTV

Allen tells WRTV it was two and a half hours before she was reunited with her daughter.

“Just do a full background and research on the school before you send your children to them,” Allen said.

WRTV

Allen says she has since pulled her daughter out of the school.

In a statement to WRTV, school officials say:

"Christel House is committed to the safety and well-being of all of our students. As soon staff identified the situation, they took immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the student. We have addressed the situation with staff and reinforced procedures to ensure protocols in place are followed to prevent this from happening again. We work closely with families to provide full support to address any concerns they may have.

The trust placed in us by our families and community is of utmost importance, and we are dedicated to upholding that trust with the highest standards of care and responsibility."