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.”
Michigan State narrowly escaped with a home win against the now 8–7 Northwestern Wildcats. The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, entering the break down seven points after scoring just 28 points. Michigan State committed eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
After a sluggish start, the Spartans regrouped and took control in the second half. Michigan State shot 14-of-27 from the field after halftime, playing with better pace and ball movement.
Jeremy Fears, who picked up two early fouls and began the game 0-of-4 from the field, responded with a strong second half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Overall, Michigan State was far more composed in the second half against the Wildcats. However, with a matchup against Indiana looming, the Spartans will not be able to afford another slow start like the one they experienced against Northwestern.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana has undergone a similar offseason transformation to another Big Ten opponent Michigan State has already faced: the Iowa Hawkeyes. After parting ways with head coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers hired former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries began his head coaching career at Drake, where he posted an impressive 150–55 record. Over his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 108 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
DeVries also went 79–33 in Missouri Valley Conference play, captured three MVC titles, and guided Drake to six of the program’s 11 20-win seasons before leaving for West Virginia.
In his lone season with the Mountaineers, DeVries engineered a significant turnaround, improving West Virginia from a 10-win team to a 19-win team.
Now at Indiana, DeVries has continued that trend of rapid improvement. In Mike Woodson’s final season, the Hoosiers finished 19–13 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This season, Indiana has already reached 12 wins and appears firmly back in the postseason conversation.
The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer from Sam Houston. Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range.
Indiana has been strong on both ends of the floor. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 30th nationally in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.
As Michigan State prepares to face Indiana, the Spartans will need to clean up their first-half execution to keep pace with one of the Big Ten’s more balanced teams. Indiana’s efficiency on both ends of the court, combined with DeVries’ proven ability to elevate programs quickly, makes this a difficult matchup. For Michigan State, a complete 40-minute performance will be essential if it hopes to build momentum in conference play.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Cam Ward when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don’t forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
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The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.
In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”
Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.
The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.
This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.
The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
ATLANTA — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has burned teams throughout the College Football Playoff with his scrambling ability.
Mendoza was lights out through the air in a 56-22 win over Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, but he made a handful of plays with his legs again starting with a 21-yard gain early in the second quarter that helped the No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) flip the field.
Mendoza’s sneaky athleticism has put pressure on defenses already struggling to contain IU’s impressive arsenal of skill players, but there came a time in the CFP semifinals where the coaching staff asked him to put that scrambling ability in his back pocket and keep it there.
“Coach (Chandler) Whitmer was in his ear about getting down as quickly as possible,” Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times.
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The Heisman winner had the large contingent of IU fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium holding their breath while he was weaving through defenders and taking hits with his team up by four possessions coming out of halftime.
Mendoza lost the ball in the third quarter while getting tripped up from behind on a run up the middle after busting out a spin move on the play to gain extra yards.
While the coaching staff appreciates Mendoza’s competitiveness, they didn’t want him putting himself at risk with the team less than two quarters away from playing in the national title game.
“We were very conscious (of the situation),” Shanahan said after the game.
Mendoza had one more carry after that off an RPO near the goal line right after IU blocked a punt. It was a play call that Shanahan immediately regretted with Oregon loading up the box.
“That wasn’t the best position to put him in,” he said.
Mendoza closed out the game for the Hoosiers under center by simply handing the ball off while the Hoosiers put the finishing touches on another lopsided win. He threw for 177 yards (17 of 20) and finished the game with more passing touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) for the sixth time this season.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning had high praise for Mendoza’s overall performance after the game, but he became the latest in a long line of opposing coaches to mention his scrambling ability in the same breath as his arm talent.
“The guy makes the right decisions,” Lanning said. “You consistently see if he sees the right coverage, you know, he takes the ball where it’s supposed to go, dictated by coverage. I think he did a great job again on the scrambles early. I thought we had him boxed up in the third down early in the game, which was critical and was able to scramble for a first down.”
Shanahan underlined Mendoza’s decision-making as well in talking about the growth he’s seen from the quarterback this season and his improvisational skills (and when to use them) are a big part of that.
“He makes my life and my job so much easier,” Shanahan said. “I think he’s playing his best ball right now. I don’t know if that was the confidence he got from winning Heisman or beating Ohio State, I feel like we are on the right path. We got one more to go.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
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