RICHMOND, Va (WTVR) - Some Richmond parents dropped their children off at school, only to find out they were at the wrong school. While other parents told CBS 6 reporter Jerrita Patterson some of the districts schools were not prepared to deal with students who still needed to register for class.
While Oak Grove Elementary School parent Georgiana Farrell described the day and school staff as "pleasant, very, very helpful," other parents still trying to enroll their children called their experience "chaotic" and "confusing."
"You have people saying 'Where's the line for this? Where's the line for that?'" Oak Grove mother Antoinette Boyd said. "And then you have parents arguing and there were threats being made, so I stepped out."
Boyd said she left her son's new school, Oak Grove Elementary, out of fear. But Boyd said she planned to return later.
"I said let me remove myself, that way if someone gets to fighting in there I won't be in the midst of it," Boyd said.
Another Oak Grove parent, Veronica Patillo described a similar situation.
"I was going to email ya'll (CBS 6) or somebody, because next year should be better than this," Patillo said. "It was totally ridiculous, just for the situation."
Richmond's interim superintendent Dr. Jonathan Lewis stopped at several schools today.
"We expected a few bumps the first day and we did have a few," Dr. Lewis said.
Parents are now hopeful the problems they encountered will be dealt with quickly.
"If it takes too long, then I will try to come back maybe in a day or two when things simmer down a little bit more," Boyd said.
"Everybody I've seen come out the door is like crazy," Patillo said. "What is going on?"
Dr. Lewis said he too wants an answer to what caused today's chaos.
"I'll have to find out what happened at Oak Grove because there was plenty of time for us to be prepared for opening there," Dr. Lewis said. "So, I'll have to check and see what's going on."
Oak Grove Elementary is one of two new schools in the district. The other is Broad Rock Elementary. The two are the first new schools in Richmond since 1999.
