A Houston mom wants answers after her 6 and 7-year-old walked off school grounds with someone not on her authorized list.
HOUSTON — A Houston mother says a routine school pickup at Gross Elementary turned into a terrifying ordeal when she arrived to get her two young sons and discovered no one could tell her where they were.
Monet Jenkins says the incident happened Thursday during afternoon dismissal at the southwest Houston elementary school. She says her sons, 7-year-old Liam and 6-year-old Aiden, had just started attending the school after the family recently moved to the area.
Jenkins told KHOU 11 she is the only person authorized to pick up her children.
“As you see my name is the only name that’s on here and that is the same for Liam’s as well,” Jenkins said while showing her dismissal approval forms.
Despite that, Jenkins said when she arrived at the school Thursday, staff could not locate her children.
“When I got here I walked up to regular dismissal asked for Liam and Aiden, they started looking around and then they came and told me they weren’t there,” she said.
She said she continued asking where her sons were, but still got no answers.
“I started asking again where was Liam and Aiden the only answer I could get is I don’t know,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said panic quickly set in.
“The moment you realize your kids aren’t on campus what’s going through your mind?” KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi asked her.
“What could have happened I taught them stranger danger but at the end of the day they’re 6 and 7 years old, so now I’m just getting worried, I’m worried about why wasn’t the staff member there, how can kids just go off campus and nothing happen,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said she called HISD police, then a break in the case.
“About 30 to 40 minutes later I received a phone call from another person in the neighborhood saying hey the lady you sometimes walk with has your kids,” Jenkins said.
According to Jenkins, the other parent also has a child at Gross Elementary and took the boys with her after finding them alone.
“She says there was no staff member out there, and the boys were like do we walk with you, she didn’t have my phone number and she didn’t want to tell them no so she walked with them,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said that parent also contacted the school to let staff know she had the boys.
The children were reunited with their mother safely. Liam later told KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi he felt “happy and excited” when he saw his mom again.
Still, Jenkins says she is deeply concerned about what happened and worries another family may not be as fortunate.
“I was lucky enough, blessed enough my kids were found soon and found safe but the next kid might not be so lucky,” she said. “We bring our kids here to learn but we have to trust the individuals that work here that they’ll keep them safe until we arrive, but coming and finding out that’s not what’s happening and kids were slipping the cracks that’s not a good feeling,” Jenkins added.
KHOU 11 reached out to Houston ISD about the incident and whether dismissal procedures were followed.
In a statement, the district said:
“HISD is aware of the incident that occurred during dismissal at Gross Elementary. The safety and well-being of all students are the District’s highest priority. Campus administrators are reviewing the incident, along with current dismissal procedures, to ensure protocols are followed and to identify any necessary improvements.”
Jenkins said she hopes by sharing her story, changes will be made.
“Anything could have happened and after experiencing that that’s something definitely I don’t want any other mother, father, guardian to have that fear, because it was very scary,” she said.
When asked what she wants the school and district to do differently moving forward, Jenkins said: “Moving forward, I really want them to focus on safety.”
On Friday, Jenkins said the school distributed new walker pickup signs to parents. She said the added step made her feel more secure, though she wishes it had not taken this incident for changes to happen.
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