Pittsburgh Milliones student left behind during field trip to local ice rink

PITTSBURGH — A field trip turned into a nightmare for a Pittsburgh Milliones student and her family.

Anna Wright says she gave her 12-year-old daughter’s teacher her permission to go to a local ice rink, Hunt Armory for a field trip in December. The little girl did not make it onto the bus to go back to school. Instead, her daughter told her she fell asleep and woke up with an adult standing over her.

Wright says there are no excuses for what happened, and she wants to see someone held accountable.

“This is neglect, this is child endangerment,” Wright told 11 Investigates.

Wright says around the time students were scheduled to return back to class for the day, she got a call from her daughter.

“She’s panicking and says ‘mommy, mommy,’ and I said ‘what’s wrong,’” Wright tells Channel 11. “She said ‘they left me on the field trip.’”

Wright says at first, she thought her daughter was joking. She immediately got in the car and went to the ice rink.

“I never got a phone call from the school at that time,” Wright said.

When she talked to the administration, Wright said the guidance counselor had not been briefed on what happened. She says she wants to see the seven chaperones on the trip be held accountable.

“It’s safety and accountability because I don’t want to see any other child or family go through this,” Wright added.

Wright says unfortunately for her daughter, she will not be going on any more field trips. This is the message she wants to share to PPS.

“Do better, please do better for the next group of parents and kids,” Wright continued.

Pittsburgh Public Schools sent Channel 11 the following statement:

The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities, and we deeply regret the distress caused by the incident involving a Pittsburgh Milliones student during a field trip in December.

We understand that the student separated from the group and was unfortunately missed when staff conducted the final headcount and loaded the school bus. The student always remained under adult supervision at the facility, and facility staff contacted the school to alert them that the student had been left behind. Additionally, the student contacted their parent directly, and the parent retrieved the student from the location. A staff member did call the student, who informed them that a parent was coming to get them. The staff member then contacted the parent and the facility to ensure the student was safe.

School administration is reviewing field trip procedures to ensure such an incident does not happen again. Steps include:

• Reinforcing headcount procedures and roll-call practices during all transitions.
• Improving communication protocols between chaperones and staff to prevent oversights.

We understand the concerns of the parent and have been in contact to address their questions and provide support.

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