Mother questions school’s safety measures after kids mistakenly put in rideshare

CHARLOTTE — Two children from KIPP Change Academy were inadvertently placed into a rideshare vehicle instead of their designated after-school transport on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the school located on Hickory Grove Road in north Charlotte.

The school stated that a language barrier with the rideshare driver was a factor in the mistake. The children were returned safely to the school.

The two students were supposed to be picked up by their day care provider. KIPP Change Academy, a K-five charter school, released a statement confirming the incident.

Shannon Streeter, the mother of the two children, described her reaction to the situation.

“I panicked, I was terrified, I didn’t know what to do, what my next steps were,” Streeter said. She added, “That was the worst feeling that I could have ever experienced as a parent, just not knowing where my children were, who they were with.”

The school reported the children were returned to the campus within approximately 13 minutes after leaving.

However, Streeter believes the children were gone for an hour or longer. She said her 10-year-old child noticed they were in an unfamiliar area and asked the driver where he was taking them, instructing him to return them to the school.

“My 10-year-old noticed that he was not in an area that he was familiar with, and he asked the guy, ‘Where are you taking us?’ And told him to take us back to the school,” Streeter said.

Streeter questioned how the school could make such a mistake, noting that her children have attended KIPP since kindergarten and have always been picked up by the same person.

“How could the school make that type of mistake? My children have been going there since they were in kindergarten, and the same person picks them up every day,” Streeter stated.

Following the incident, she has implemented new safety measures for her children.

“I’ve now put AirTags in my children’s shoes because that was the most terrifying situation I’ve experienced in my life,” Streeter said.

Despite previously being satisfied with the education her children received at KIPP Change Academy, Streeter stated she plans to enroll them in a different school next year.

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