HCPS: 'Error Was Made' In Churchville-Prospect Mill Mix-up

Wednesday's mix-up that left a Harford County first-grader without a school was the result of an error, according to a Harford County Public Schools spokeswoman.

Kim Baldwin's son, Trent, . Baldwin was led to believe her 6-year-old would be attending .

"Due to confusion regarding the address of the residence and the parcel of land the residence sits on, an error was made regarding the attendance area of this particular student. Churchville Elementary was not expecting the child but worked as quickly as possible to rectify the situation," Harford County Public Schools Manager of Communications Teri Kranefeld wrote Thursday afternoon in an email to Patch. "Understanding the concerns of the parent, a meeting was held at the Central Office and the situation was resolved. Several options were presented to the parents in order to remedy the situation, and the family chose the option that best suited their needs."

Baldwin commented on the Thursday, revealing that Trent would be attending the school where they initially believed he belonged: "Trent is now going to Prospect [Mill]. He is happy to be back with his friends. The only downside is now [I] have to drive him to and from school."

Baldwin said she had a positive conversation with a member of the school system Thursday, when she kept Trent home for family purposes.

She said the school system official mentioned the , and said there was a possibility Baldwin's son may be able to be added to an area .

Kranefeld said Trent will not be charged with an unexcused absence, as Baldwin said Churchville administration informed her he would when she removed him from school on Wednesday.

Harford County opened Red Pump Elementary School Wednesday after a lengthy redistricting process. Kranefeld said the school system experienced a few issues on the first day of school, but that it acted proactively in anticipation of some redistricting-related glitches.

"With elementary students going to new schools this year due to the redistricting initiative, plans were set in place by our Transportation Department to proactively place an extra activity bus at each elementary school in the event students arrived at the wrong school," she said. "There were a few issues, as to be expected, but each issue was handled individually and rectified as quickly as possible."