Courtesy of Shannon Stoker
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shannon Stoker. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My 6-year-old son Stevie and I were both nervous about him starting kindergarten this year. Stevie is autistic and has limited verbal abilities, so I was extra concerned.
We did what we could to prepare. All summer, we worked on Stevie responding with his name when someone asked for it. The Friday before school started, we met with his teacher and special education coordinator.
Sunday night, the eve of the first day, I put paperwork in Stevie's backpack. That's when I remembered I had extra AirTags we'd purchased over the summer to track my older son while he rode his bike.
I grabbed an extra AirTag and slipped one into Stevie's backpack. It was a whim, but it ended up being critically important.
On the first day of school, Stevie was excited. I took his back-to-school photo, and he got on the bus. I checked his AirTag a few times that day, and it showed him at school. I pictured him having a great first day. That's what I was hoping for.
Our plan was for Stevie to take the bus directly to therapy after school. But his online student profile hadn't been updated, so I was worried he might be bused home. I tried to call the transportation company but couldn't get through. Finally, I got through to the school, where someone told me Stevie was on a bus — they just didn't know which.
At 3:45, I stared at the AirTag, trying to figure out where my son was. Stevie rides a special needs bus with four other kids, but I thought the school might have mistakenly put him on the main bus. So, my older son and I walked to the neighborhood bus stop.
That's when the school called again and told me Stevie hadn't been there all day. I went into a total panic. I hung up and called 911. The school called back and confirmed they had checked every kindergarten and special ed class — no Stevie.
Stevie's AirTag had been at school, but terrible things went through my head. I worried that his backpack had somehow arrived, but my child didn't. I even wondered if I'd put him on a real bus that morning. It was sheer terror. The 911 operator could tell. She stayed on the phone with me until an officer arrived at my house.
The officer was immediately interested in the AirTag data, and he radioed the tag's location to other officers. I would have chased it myself, but he had told me not to leave. I was in no state to drive.
My husband Andy arrived home from work early, and he didn't even have time to get out of the car before I sent him to chase the AirTag.
Still, I was worried that we were focused too much on the device. The AirTag wasn't actually on Stevie, and if we were chasing a backpack instead of a boy, my son could already be across state lines.
Andy followed the AirTag location and found a bus for people with special needs. He, along with two police officers, pulled up to the bus. The driver told Andy that Stevie wasn't on board. Luckily, Andy peeked in the windows and said, "My son is right there."
I was relieved to know Stevie was with Andy. I still get teary thinking about it. They got home at about 4:45 p.m. — the whole incident had lasted about an hour.
Around 5:30 p.m., I heard from the school again. They explained that when Stevie got off the bus, they asked if he was another boy. Stevie didn't answer, so they assumed he was that other boy. The other boy was marked present when he wasn't at school, and Stevie was marked absent.
Stevie was moved to a different school, and for now, Andy and I are driving Stevie to and from kindergarten. He's having a difficult transition to kindergarten, but after this experience, I think that's understandable.
Both Stevie and now his older brother have AirTags in their backpacks for peace of mind.
Editor's Note — DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 provided the following statement to Business Insider:
"The District office was informed of an incident involving a misidentified kindergarten student at Founders Elementary on Monday, August 19. The child was mistaken for another child when getting off the bus in the morning and placed in the other child's classroom. The child was under classroom supervision during the day, and we are thankful the child was located on the bus route home and is safe.
Although we are aware that information is being shared on social media, as a District, we cannot disclose any additional information or details to protect the privacy of the child, family, and staff involved as we work to resolve this incident.
We are deeply sorry for the concern this caused the family and we are conducting a full investigation of the events of the day. Ensuring that each and every child is safe on their routes to and from school, along with their day at school, is our critical priority, and we will continue to evaluate and make adjustments to our procedures to that end."
