A Washington, D.C. woman is demanding a school district take accountability for its failures when a parent’s worst nightmare became her reality. Capria Phillips is the mother of two boys, 5-year-old Harlem and 4-year-old Santana, who both attended Anita J. Turner Elementary School when she says they were kidnapped.

Phillips alleges that school staff allowed a woman to pick up her children from school without verifying her identity last month. She was tipped off that something was wrong after receiving a call from the school asking if she knew anyone by the name of Jessica. She did not, but by the time she arrived at the elementary school, her children were already gone. “My children were basically given away that day,” she told DC News Now about the harrowing incident that took place on March 7.

She recalled thinking that the absolute worst had happened to her two boys. “I didn’t think I would ever see my boys. I thought that they would find them missing in a river,” said Phillips. However, the children were ultimately found safe, and it was revealed that their alleged kidnapper was actually their father’s ex-girlfriend. According to a court affidavit obtained by the news outlet, the woman identified herself to school staff as Jessica Smart and said she was Harlem and Santana’s mother. No one ever checked her ID.

The documents revealed that “Smart” used Phillips’ kids as leverage to force their father into allowing her access to the son she shares with him. Police located her hours after she picked up the two boys. Neither Harlem nor Santana suffered any physical harm. The woman has since been charged with two counts of kidnapping. As far as Phillips is concerned, the entire situation could have been prevented if staff had followed through with their 100% ID check. She says she and her children have been traumatized by the ordeal.

“Trust is broken. My heart is broken [that] someone was that careless,” said Phillips, who has since removed her children from the school. DC Public Schools issued a statement acknowledging that the incident took place. They also reiterated that student safety is their top priority. But, according to Phillips, more still needs to be done to make amends.

“Just more due diligence, more caring, more love. If you love your students enough, you will love to know who you’re giving them back away to,” she explained. Her last demand is that the district issue her a genuine apology, something she said has yet to happen.

View the full report below.