CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV)-- Parents of Otay Ranch High School are outraged after they said their teens missed most of their Homecoming Dance, waiting in line.
It was supposed to be an exciting weekend for ORHS students. It was the first big dance since the start of the pandemic, with Homecoming being on a Saturday at SeaWorld.
"She got her to make up done by her sister, she got a dress, she was dressed up, and really looking forward to the event," Reymund P. said of his daughter.
Reymund's daughter is a senior. She got to the park a little after 6:30 p.m. hoping to head inside by 7 pm. But that was not the case.
"She just sent us a text and said, 'Hey, dad? Um, we're still here. We're not even inside of the venue yet,'" Reymund said.
Reymund's daughter told him that the security and COVID entry process was a disaster. Thirty minutes turned into an hour, which turned into more than two hours. When Reymund's daughter finally made it inside, they had less than an hour to enjoy the dance.
"She was pretty much done," Reymund said. "They didn't have enough time to dance or anything like that. It's terrible."
Reymund, who is a mental health nurse, said these social events are critical for teens, especially after experiencing long periods of isolation during the pandemic. That's why he is disheartened for his daughter and her classmates.
"I would have come to help," Reymund said. "If they wanted parents to come to help facilitate the event, I would have come, free."
Monday, the school issued an apology to students and parents, admitting its error, saying: "We were not adequately staffed to check in students and we should have planned better."
Raymund hopes for future dances the kids don't become the victims of another logistical nightmare.
"The general spirit of future events like prom that kind of stuff, those are important to the kids. Those are memories, things that they are going to carry for the rest of their life. The school district has to make it right, so stuff like this doesn't happen again," said Reymund.
The school's apology also said that any student who waited in line for more than an hour would get a full $70 refund for their ticket, and everyone would get into the spring dance for free.
