Brooklyn family outraged after 7-year-old left on field trip

EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A Brooklyn family is outraged after their little girl was left behind during a school field trip earlier this week.

The parents of the second grader from PS 213 in East New York are demanding answers and an apology, wondering how the teacher let the bus leave when a student was unaccounted for.

The 7-year-old, whose name we are not printing, was scared after her class and her teacher left Manhattan Beach without her.

"I felt scared, and I thought somebody was going to take me away," she said.

Her mother, Ketesha Little-Cofield, is clutching her daughter a little closer and keeping a watchful eye after what she describes as a frightening ordeal.

"I'm just very thankful," she said. "I thank God for everything that I am, that my daughter is safe."

The class had gone to Manhattan Beach for a field trip this past Wednesday, and the girl says she told her teacher she had to throw out some garbage.

"When I was on the beach, I had told her I was going to throw something away," she said. "And when I threw something away, I turned around, and she was gone."

The teacher and the bus had left without her. Another teacher is said to have noticed the girl and put her on another bus.

"The student was under the supervision of school staff during the field trip and returned to school on a bus with a different class," DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness said in a statement. "Nothing is more important than the safety and security of all students and staff. We are investigating the incident and have protocols in place to ensure it is addressed appropriately."

But Little-Cofield says that isn't enough.

"Normally they do a count to ensure that everybody that got off the bus is getting back on the bus," she said. "So she dropped the ball major league."

She is now waiting for the outcome, and in the meantime, she has pulled her child from the class. She would also like an apology from the teacher, along with additional training.

"I do not want her fired," she said. "I want policy, procedure, protocol. I thank God this did not turn out tragically. This could have been a different type of situation."