FORT WORTH, Texas — The family of a 5-year-old Fort Worth ISD student is speaking out after the district confirmed the child was left behind at a museum during a school field trip.
According to the district, they learned about the incident on Wednesday when a group of students from Carrol Peak Elementary went on a field trip to the Fort Worth Science and History Museum.
“This is so scary, and it can happen at any time," said Kler Lay, the kindergartener's uncle.
He alongside the child’s father, Kyaw Dow sat down with WFAA on Friday.
“I just want this to never happen again to other kids,” Lay said.
Lay says his brother and sister-in-law moved to America more than 10 years ago from a Thailand refugee camp to create a better life. On Wednesday he got a call from his nephew’s mother crying hysterically because when she went to pick up her son from school he wasn’t there.
“When she was calling me, I was nervous all I did was pray,” he said.
Lay said they searched the school for about an hour until they realized the boy was still at the museum. It's unclear how the child was unaccounted for.
Lay said a total of three hours had passed before they were able to find his nephew. Once they did, he said he was safe with a security guard at the museum.
In a statement to WFAA, Fort Worth ISD says the incident is under investigation.
Fort Worth ISD is aware of the incident. This is unacceptable, and as soon as the district was made aware, an immediate investigation was launched.
The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We are taking this matter very seriously and are working to determine how this occurred to prevent any future incidents.
Fort Worth ISD deeply regrets the distress this has caused the family involved and will continue to provide support as we investigate the situation.
” It’s not easy but it’s possible to fix this problem,” said Lay. He said he doesn’t want any other family to go through this kind of scare ever again.