Indiana
Indiana mom pulls daughter from school after 6-year-old left behind on field trip: 'She thought she was lost'
An Indianapolis mother has pulled her first-grader from her school after the 6-year-old was left behind at an apple orchard following a field trip last week.
Dearra Allen says her daughter Cianni went to Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield, Indiana, last Wednesday with her charter school, Christel House West Academy.
“My mom calls me, and she goes, ‘Hey, the school called, and they left Cianni at the apple orchard,’” she told Fox News Digital over the phone. “I thought she was playing.”
Once reality set in, Allen immediately ran out the door, picked up Cianni’s dad and rushed to the school to figure out what was going on.
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Cianni Allen, 6, seen here showing off a missing tooth from her smile. (Dearra Allen)
Cianni’s teacher told the mother she did a headcount before leaving the field trip location. Allen responded that if the headcount had been accurate, her daughter would not have been missing.
“They really had nothing to say other than I was right,” Allen said after pressing school officials for answers.
Cianni told her mom one of her classmate’s dads was her chaperone during the field trip.
“Cianni said she just kept playing because he never called [her] name. Well, then she said she looked up a little later, and she noticed that everybody was gone,” Allen said, adding that her daughter went to look for someone in the apple orchard area prior to going to the pumpkin patch.
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Cianni Allen, 6, can be seen at a skating rink. (Dearra Allen)
Cianni Allen’s mother told Fox News Digital the 6-year-old was left behind following a field trip on Oct. 16, 2024. (Dearra Allen)
“She said this lady came out of nowhere and was like, ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Are you OK?’ and she was like, ‘My school left me.’”
Cianni was then taken to an office, where she was held until her principal went to get her.
“When we got to the school, she wasn’t there yet, and I didn’t know that,” the mother said. “They was at the school by the time they realized that they didn’t have Cianni.”
The drive time between the school and orchard is about an hour, Allen said, leaving the first-grader without any school care for about 2.5 hours.
Family photo of Dearra Allen, Cianni Allen, Cianni’s older sister and younger brother. (Dearra Allen)
Allen said past field trips involving her oldest daughter and Cianni through Christel House West Academy had gone off without a hitch.
Cianni and her parents did not reunite until 4:30 p.m. the day of the field trip, Allen said. Along with Cianni, she also withdrew her oldest daughter from the school.
Allen says she remains confused and feels like she was being lied to about who was chaperoning her daughter at the time of the incident. The mother said two classes were on the field trip at the time, and she believes 50 students attended.
As for Cianni, her mom said she was “so heartbroken, distraught. She didn’t think she was going to see us again. She thought she was lost.”
Cianni Allen, 6, seen in this park photograph taken by her mother. (Dearra Allen)
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The school district provided the following statement to Fox News Digital:
“Christel House is committed to the safety and well-being of all of our students. As soon as staff identified the situation, they took immediate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the student. We work closely with families to provide full support to address any concerns they may have.
The trust placed in us by our families and community is of utmost importance, and we are dedicated to upholding that trust with the highest standards of care and responsibility.”
Indiana
Is ‘The Bachelorette’ happening? This Carmel contestant weighs in
ABC pulls upcoming ‘Bachelorette’ season. Here’s what to know
A Carmel man and former Purdue basketball player was set to compete on this season that won’t air.
Should ABC air the canceled-for-now season of “The Bachelorette”? A Carmel man who was set to compete on it seems to think so.
Matt Carroll, a 43-year-old Purdue basketball alum and Carmel resident, took to social media over the weekend to address the cancelation of season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” on which he appeared. Public opinion on whether the show should see the light of day is split, but the former Boilermaker forward and industrial real estate broker hopes the footage makes it to air.
Disney and ABC pulled season 22 of “The Bachelorette” because its lead, “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul, faces an ongoing domestic violence investigations. The network announced the decision March 19 after TMZ leaked a video from a 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen.
Neither Carroll nor the show have officially commented on the cancelation, but that doesn’t mean he and other contestants haven’t hinted at their feelings on social media.
Carroll’s Instagram reel — in which he struts through the streets of Carmel, rose in hand, RAYE’s “Where the Hell is My Husband” soundtracking it all — breaks the ice. “So…about that,” he joked, tagging both “The Bachelorette” and Bachelor Nation, the franchise’s official hub for news and content.
The reel has garnered comments from fellow Carmel residents wishing Carroll well, even offering to set him up with local singles. Notably, though, some of Carroll’s followers have called for the season to air — and he agrees.
“Trying to manifest that they still air this,” one comment from model Brittany Mason reads. “America wants it the world wants it!”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Carroll replied.
Another response from him put it more plainly:
“I’m still hoping they decide to air it.”
Whether “The Bachelorette” will air is unclear. Disney Entertainment Television’s official statement only indicated that it was halting the season “for now,” so it’s possible the network could dust off the footage and air it after all.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
Indiana
Game times announced for Saturday’s Final Four in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Final Four is set.
Four teams have advanced to the Final Four and will compete for the national championship this upcoming weekend in Indianapolis.
The two national semifinal matchups will take place on Saturday. Tip times for the two games have been announced:
- 6:09 p.m. EDT – No. 3 seed Illinois vs. No. 2 seed UConn
- 8:49 p.m. EDT – No. 1 seed Michigan vs. No. 1 seed Arizona
The winners of Saturday’s games will then play in the National Championship Game on Monday, April 6.
Each game will take place inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
Indiana
Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest
INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of Hoosiers gathered at the Indiana Statehouse Saturday morning as part of nationwide ‘No Kings’ events to voice their concerns about the current administration.
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Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest
“I’m out here today because what’s happening in our government is completely trash,” Donna Sipes told WRTV. “It’s wrong. We need to do something about it.”
“I’m tired of every single day when the TV comes on to see what stupid thing he’s done next,” Lindi Marti said.
WRTV
Attendees noted the growing popularity of the demonstrations.
“This is my fourth one to come to. I didn’t come to all of them when it was really cold, but I’m glad to see that they are getting a lot more people out here every time,” Marti added. “It seems like there’s more and more coming.”
Demonstrators highlighted specific foreign policy concerns, including the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.
“We’re bombing the heck out of them. We’re killing civilians,” Marti’s husband said. “We’re getting ready to send our Marines.”
WRTV
Others focused on the administration’s handling of immigration.
“That’s what I’m concerned about,” Reverend Kenny Little told WRTV. “Little kids, they’re taking them away from their family. And I’m just one of those people, I think everyone got rights.”
Indiana medical students also attended the rally to speak out against changes to the healthcare system.
“We’re really worried about the attacks on the health care system in general, but with Medicaid… current estimates range from anywhere from 325,000 to 450,000 Hoosiers will lose coverage by 2032,” Wade Catt said with concern.
WRTV
With midterm elections approaching later this year, attendees emphasized the importance of now taking action at the ballot box.
“If we don’t vote, then things are gonna not, they’re gonna stay the same,” a protester said.
Meanwhile, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith says he’s happy to see Hoosiers exercise their First Amendment right to protest.
However, he takes issue with the idea that President Trump is acting like a king. Beckwith says the fact that people have the freedom to protest is proof that the president is not acting like a tyrant.
He acknowledges that bridging the gap between the sides is probably an uphill battle, but believes communication is key.
“I think when you sit down with people face to face, you’re confronted with humanity. There’s another human sitting across that table from you and talking to you. And so, all I have to say, I think that’s probably the thing I would encourage all Hoosiers to do is say, ‘Hey, if you don’t agree with somebody or if you don’t like somebody, why don’t you try grabbing coffee with them? And give it 30 minutes, and just see what happens.’ I bet most of the time people will walk away with a much softer heart and spirit towards that person before they came in,” Beckwith said.
Beckwith is currently on a 92-county tour of the state. He says all sides are welcome to attend his events.
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