"You never thought it could happen to you until it actually does," the boy's mother said.A North Texas mother whose child was nearly kidnapped at a "Meet the Teacher Night" is talking about the ordeal.The charter school, International Leadership of Texas in North Richland Hills, said it has strengthened all safety protocols since this incident.
"We were turning around and looking around and he was on our heels, my heels. Staying behind me the whole time," she recalled. After Ward followed the family for a few minutes, the mother said her husband motioned to a nearby map and stepped away."He walked up and put his arm over my son’s shoulder and guided him down to the corner, and I grabbed my son’s collar and pulled him," she said. "And the man still tried, and then I yelled and told him to let go of my son and let go of my child."So her husband did the same, making sure Ward didn’t get away while on the phone with 911.
International Leadership of Texas told FOX 4 in a statement: "While it was not acceptable that this individual was able to enter our building, we are incredibly proud of the way our team and families responded to keep students safe.""I’ve been able to not think about it all week and then it will hit me like a ton of rocks," the mother said."I don’t want him to be afraid and terrified to go to school and have this trauma hanging over him," she said.