BEAVERTON, Ore. -- A 6-year-old girl who became sick at school was sent home with a stranger after an error by school staff, according to the girl's mother, KPTV in Portland, Ore., reported.

Trisha Bahr said employees at Reedville Elementary School looked up the wrong name and called the wrong person when her daughter, Juliana, became ill last week. Bahr said the man who was called showed up at the school, took her child to his home and then realized his mistake.

"How did this happen? And how did this person not know they didn't have their own grandchild?" Bahr asked. "I don't understand it. I don't understand how the mix-up happened."

The Hillsboro School District released a statement that said it is "conducting an investigation into the situation." School officials would not otherwise comment due to confidentiality requirements and because they were still in the fact-finding stage.

The girl's family remained baffled Tuesday on how the man continued the school employee's mistake.

"Thank you for bringing her back, but that's a really hard one," Bahr said. "I just want him to know it scared the beejesus out of me to know my child was with someone else. I don't understand how he didn't know who he was picking up."

Bahr said she called police and called the school several times to determine how the mix-up occurred. She said the school principal told her someone else signed her daughter out of school.

"At that point, I think my heart sank into my stomach," Bahr said.

Bahr said her daughter was hysterical and bawling when they reunited. While she has informed her daughter about the danger of talking to strangers, she said Juliana trusted staff at her school.

"If he wasn't a good person, I could have never seen my daughter again," Bahr said.

The school district would not release the name of the man who picked up the child.

The school's policy calls for a parent or guardian to sign out the student. There is not a policy about staff identifying parents or guardians who pick up the child from school.




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