Mother questions safety, procedures at metro school after son is injured

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A 7th grader suffered alarming injuries while on a field trip his mother says she never signed a permission slip for in the first place.

Reneya Holmes said it's been almost exactly one month since her 13-year-old son broke his arm and badly chipped his two front teeth while on a field trip with his charter school, KIPP College Prep.

While her son is healing, the injuries are having a lasting impact on his school work.

"I went over to that school to find my son with blood dripping down his face," said Holmes.

It was a frightening sight for Holmes on October 23 when she received a call from her son's school telling her he had taken a "little fall" while on a field trip.

"I never turned in the permission slip. So it was without my permission," said Holmes. "I didn't expect to see my son's arm wrapped up in a makeshift splint."

Holmes said she initially rushed to KIPP OKC Prep School until she realized her son got hurt while at Harding Fine Arts Academy down the road.

"He tripped and fell down the stairs at Harding, busted his front lip, several dental fractures. He broke his arm in two places," said Holmes.

Holmes said with her son recovering at home in a cast, she called KIPP and his teachers to collect homework and assignments.

"I couldn't get a response. I left voice mails. I left messages at the front desk," said Holmes.

Holmes said she missed one email from the superintendent, but never heard anything after she emailed back.

"In the meantime, his grades have fallen quite a bit. I started receiving progress reports about a week ago," said Holmes.

We reached out to the school and the superintendent sent us the following statement,

At KIPP OKC, student safety and learning are always our top priorities. We appreciate the parent who brought this matter to our attention and are working closely with them to address any concerns. 

Our procedures are designed to protect students, and we are committed to reviewing them thoroughly and making any necessary improvements. 

We take this situation seriously and remain dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive environment where all students can learn and thrive. We are also glad to see this student recovering from their injuries and back in the classroom. 

Michael Carter, Superintendent of KIPP OKC Public Schools

Holmes said she's feeling anxious about her son missing two weeks of class and about school policies that allowed him to get hurt in the first place.

"I've never seen the incident report that's happened. No one's reached out. I would like for at least some of those policies and procedures to be revamped," said Holmes.

Holmes said shortly after we reached out, the Superintended called her and did send her the incident report that was submitted a couple of days after the incident.

They are also getting her son's missed school work together and will give him until the end of the second quarter to turn it in and get his grades back on track.