Nylah Kamara, age 5, was reported missing after leaving the Match Community Day Charter Public School in Hyde Park on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 29, Boston Police said on Facebook.
However, Nylah's mother Kyeisha Alexander told WHDH her daughter was mistaken for another student who was absent. Nylah was then placed on a bus that took her to the wrong home.
“They couldn’t tell me where she was, they couldn’t tell me what bus she was on,” Alexander told the outlet. “I’m just blown away that it’s her first day of school, she’s only five, and they couldn’t even tell me where she went.”
Nylah was later located safe and sound, her mother said. Now the Match School is addressing the incident by making changes to their dismissal procedures, the school said in a statement.
"There is no excuse for this incident. We have met with the child’s family and have expressed our deep regret," the statement said. "The safety of all students is our utmost priority, and we are committed to ensuring stronger processes moving forward."
The changes include adjusting dismissal staffing and improving transition procedures at all grade levels. Alexander said she hopes the changes ensure no other parent has to go through what she experienced.
“I just pray that this happens to nobody else’s kid on the first day of school,” she told WHDH.
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