Parents are frustrated after an automated message saying their kids were not at school was accidentally sent by the Escondido Union High School District.
The alert was sent to hundreds of families with students at Mission Middle School in Escondido on Monday.
Parents called the school for information on their missing children but the phone lines were full and they couldn't get through.
"It was actually really scary because I drop her off at 7 a.m. I watch her walk off and head into the campus and so it freaked me out," said Maria Sanchez, who has a sixth-grader at the school. "When I called the school, I just kept getting a busy tone."
Many parents, including Sanchez, began showing up at the school to see that their children were in fact there.
EUHSD spokesperson Suzy Villegas said they sent out a follow-up alert that informed parents the message was an error. The district was looking into the incident.
District Superintendent Luis Ibarra said the alert wasn't supposed to be a drill, but it will definitely serve as a lesson.
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Many students told NBC 7 they received calls from their disgruntled guardians asking them why they weren't in class.
"For the students that are watching this, the parents are listening and they will follow up," Ibarra said.
Another student said she saw a line of cars outside the school after the alert went out. The Mission Middle principal said although it was a mistake, he was thankful to see the parents' response.
