DD 6 put on the wrong bus

[Maryr1]

How very scary!!!! There are so many mistakes here-each one in and of itself is bad-all together it is a recipe for disaster! I would make a formal complaint to the school district in writing,sent certified mail-signature required and I would make sure the school board got a copy. I would outline all areas of concern and ask for a written response within a finite time-maybe a month? I would ask them to address each area of concern individually and submit to you a plan of action to prevent this from happening again to ANY student. Then, if this ever happens again you have a record of the events and measures taken to refer to. This will make all parties accountable. Good luck and remember-these are our precious children we have entrusted to these people. They need to be worthy of that trust. Our children are priceless. Robbing them of their potential through lack of committment to excellence is unacceptable.

 

[clh2]

Mom of a 7th grader here, and my DD has taken a bus most of her school years. Luckily, without any wrong buses along the way.

One thing I did in her early years was take a sheet of "shrinky dinks" which are available at most rubber stamping craft stores, and put all the pertinent info on it, except her name. I put on it her bus #, departing school, after school spot, after school spot phone #, and my name (different last name from DD) and work and cell #'s. I punched a hole in this, and shrunk it in the oven. It ended up being the size of a credit card when it was done, and I attached it to her back pack. That way, if she ended up somewhere wrong, the bus driver would hopefully have enough sense to use the info provided.

 

[famofsix]

Hey OP it think there's a video about Arthur taking the bus and missing his stop (he fell asleep) and the feelings he and his family went through...it might help your DD talk through her feelings even though the arthur character had a different reason for being on the bus too long.
Anyhow, I am sorry this happened.
BTW, my dd10 helped put kindergarteners on the bus last year. She was assigned to two kids that she helped all year. I think she switched off with another classmate and they shared the responsibility. However, two or three adults were always present to be sure the whole thing went smoothly (school phychologist, two teachers on bus duty and walkie talkies with the office.
There's really no excuse for the behavior of the bus driver. At the very least, they should move him to the high school run. Those kids are plenty verbal to get to the right stop.
I am sorry for your frantic moments...I am so glad there's a happy ending.

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

The same thing happened to me. I'm 20 and I still remember it! I somehow got put on the wrong bus to go home as a kindergartener. I realized this about 10 minutes into the ride and I was petrified. I was so afraid, I didn't want to tell the driver. So I moved to the back of the bus and hid! The bus made it's route and then went to a garage where it parked. The driver then walked up and down the asiles, I guess checking for kids just like me! Of course he found me and my mom came and picked me up, but man was I scared! It sounds like your daughter tried to handle this appropriately by attmepting to tell the driver, shame on him for not listening!

I think it's good that you're still going to have your daughter ride the bus. I was so scared after this that I refused to ride the bus and my mom didn't make me, she drove me for the rest of my school career. I know she was just doing this to protect me, but I actually think it's better that you're going to have her ride the bus. When she does make it home okay, she will feel so confident, and will overcome any fear she has! Sorry you had to go through this, it must have been AWFUL.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Uggg.. I am so glad she is safe. Its stories like this that make me glad my town does not provide bussing.

 

[cruisnfamily]

How'd it go? Did she get home OK?

 

[mickeysgal]

Checking in with the OP to see how today went for your DD. It must have been hard for her to face the bus ride again. Hopefully everything went well.

 

[McKelly]

OMG! I just read this and am so glad I chose to NOT send my Kindergartner on the bus! My DS starts on Tuesday and was scheduled to take the bus, but when I got the schedule it said that he was to take a "shuttle" bus from our house to another school where he would have to exit the bus and then transfer on to another bus which would take him to his school and then vice versa on the way back. I said, "Are you kidding me?!?!" You want a five year old to transfer busses?!!? The bus company informed me that, I should not worry, because there were lots of kids transferring and I should just tell him to follow the other kids. She told me the bus drivers were "very careful" and nothing will happen to him!! Yeah right!! This is why I had to run down the middle of my street last year TWICE screaming for the bus driver to stop because they kept forgetting to drop my 1st grader off (several new bus drivers). Careful, my #%#&%$&! Needless to say, I will be dropping and picking up my kids from school, along with several other neighborhood kids, who think the transfer thing is ridiculous!!

To the OP, I feel so sorry for your child, how frightening it must have been for her!! I can't even imagine how YOU must have felt, last year my heart was pounding a mile a minute if my DD's bus was even a minute late!! Yes, I am one of THOSE mothers!! Good Luck and looking on the bright side, I bet they won't make THAT mistake again. Last year, when I complained twice to the bus company about my daughter being forgotten to be dropped off, she received front of the house service! She normally had to pick up the bus at the corner. The bus started picking her up and dropping her off in FRONT of our house!

 

[Donald - my hero]

1st off I can NOT say accidents happen when it involves the saftey of a child! Bus drives hold the lives of our most precious gifts in their hands for those few hours each day.

When my eldest was going to Kindergarden 15 years ago he was "lost" within the bus system as well. We live in an area where a "safe arrival" program exists. Even all the way to highschool you are alerted if your child does not arrive. Now of course this doesn't make it down the pipe line until the attendance sheet gets to the office but it works! We have recieved multiple phone calls when either child is ill and we forgot to let the school know they would not be attending.

HOWEVER one day I got a phone call asking if Ben was home sick. NO he isn't, I put him on bus about 30 minutes ago. The bus goes directly to the school so where the heck was he??? He was so little -- only 4 years old since his B-Day is end of year and tiny kid! All the buses called into garage... nope he wasn't on any! The bus that usually takes him never showed up. By this time I am beside myself! I had no idea where the bus had ended up
Ended very safely. Dave (we learned his name REAL quick after that) had stopped for coffee after shift and was in bathroom when call came in. Ben saw my dad in coffee shop and got off bus to see Papa! Of course Dave didn't see him and Papa (wierdo dad that i have) thought maybe no school today.Dave drove his own car back to coffee shop and picked up Ben in his arms ... hey lil buddy you should get off the bus at the SCHOOL everyday. Seemed he had fallen asleep (even though it was only 8:50 am) and missed school.

Ok long winded but I had forgotten how scary this was! You deserve to be upset! Your child went missing even if for a few minutes. In this day and age all kinds of things enter your mind. I am soooo sorry for you and the anquish you went thru BUT soo happy it all worked out

 

[MoniqueU]

You live a mile from the school and are a stay at home mom? Why is she riding the bus in the first place.I guess it is just me living in california but we dont have busses for that short of a distance, and if I were a stay at home mom i certainly would not be taking advantage of the bussing. Here we get our kids to and from school, working or not.

 

[Samandmom]

OMG! I just read this and am so glad I chose to NOT send my Kindergartner on the bus! My DS starts on Tuesday and was scheduled to take the bus, but when I got the schedule it said that he was to take a "shuttle" bus from our house to another school where he would have to exit the bus and then transfer on to another bus which would take him to his school and then vice versa on the way back.

That's crazy that the kids have to transfer buses!!!

To the OP glad that things turned out for the best!

 

[klj27]

Even though I was rearended by a schoolbus in the school parking lot on my daughter's second day of kindergarten (totalled our new van) I still think busses are the safest way for the kids to get to school. I hope she continues to like riding the bus.

 

[FreshTressa]

Wow...I have not read through all the replies...just the OP, but all I can say is wow.

I cannot imagine your terror.

I am sooo glad she is fine, though...but still.

 

[FreshTressa]

You live a mile from the school and are a stay at home mom? Why is she riding the bus in the first place.I guess it is just me living in california but we dont have busses for that short of a distance, and if I were a stay at home mom i certainly would not be taking advantage of the bussing. Here we get our kids to and from school, working or not.

They have bussing here for everyone. It is soo much nicer than my old school where everyone was going to pick them up and it was a zoo.

The bus really cuts down on traffic and pollution.

 

[shortbun]

I drive a school bus. I drive in one of the largest school systems in the country. Children do get put on the wrong bus. I never think it's ok. I'm so sorry you were put through this. We have wrist bands, they are sometimes wrong. Humans make them. Humans make mistakes. Imho, another child should NEVER be responsible for putting little ones on the buses correctly. THAT is just inexcusable. Yesterday, a teacher made a 5th grader lie to me so I would take her "siblings" on the bus. This woman actually made a 10 yo girl say two other girls were her sisters so I would take them on my bus without proper ID. Neither girl (the "siblings")spoke English well enough to be able to answer my questions, "what is your name", "where do you get off the bus?", "what is your address?", "do you know your phone number?". When we got to their stop, I asked the 5th grader to give me her 'sisters' names' so I could make sure I had them added or found them on my roster. She looked down at her shoes and said," they are not really my sisters." I asked her if they even lived in her household. She answered, "no." OMG! this teacher had her lie to get these girls on my bus!!! I put in a written report about that one. Luckily, the parents of both 'siblings" were waiting at the stop. They couldn't answer my questions either but at that point I was so glad to see them it just didn't matter. The sloppy handling of children makes my heart ache. I'm so sorry for you and your daughter.

 

[luvflorida]

Another one checking in and hoping your daughter's bus trip was a successful one.

 

[maelcu]

so sorry for not posting yesterday. Everything went great. She came off the school bus beaming she is so proud of herself. The teacher spoke with the class yesterday about how important school bus safety is. I am glad of that. We are going to get a copy of the video tape from the bus she was on.

Some mentioned about buses and short distance, here the county school board really want the kids to ride the bus it cuts down on traffic and chaos at the school. The school my DD goes to has lots of construction going on so they only have half of the parking lot available. Which isn't much to begin with.

Her "right" school bus driver has informed everyone he is to be told when she is sick or someone picks her up because from now on he will not leave the school without her. He is so sweet. Everyday when she gets off the bus he helps with her backpack yesterday he tied her shoe for her before she left the bus.

She is very happy to ride the bus again, she has bounced back alot faster than her father and I have.

Thanks again to every who replied!
Beth

 

[Dznypal]

When I was in K (and this was 40yrs ago!!!!!!!)

teacher got us all on the right bus but the driver went past our stop!!!
(we dindt have an aid for the aid for the aid)
my mom didnt drive at the time and would walk to the bus stop to meet us

so theres my mom sitting on the bench and we waved as we drove by!!!!

we just figured the bus driver being an adult knew what he was doing

so after doing his whole route he realized he still had 2 kids!!!

the only thing we could remember was our stop was by a park with "stop and go lites"

so he went back over his route until we came back toour stop and there was my mom still waiting!!!

back then you didnt have all the things happening like now

my mom though was still upset

 

[crazy4disney01]

Glad your daughter is ok, and bounced back from a scary experience. I bet it was hard for you to trust putting her back on the bus after that happened.

It sounds like it helped the school to be more cautious and aware of how quick things can happen...I would have been mad too and upset at the aide for not doing her job!!

 

[Nancyg56]

You live a mile from the school and are a stay at home mom? Why is she riding the bus in the first place.I guess it is just me living in california but we dont have busses for that short of a distance, and if I were a stay at home mom i certainly would not be taking advantage of the bussing. Here we get our kids to and from school, working or not.

It is a bit of a challenge to compare your town and your circumstances with anybody elses. I find that it is not helpful to judge another's decision based on what I think they should do.

In my town every K child is picked up at the door except if the bus cannot get down the street. Our street is too narrow for the bus and a firetruck to pass at the same time, so we go to the corner. My DGD walks with me to the stop and gets on the bus to join the rest of the kids. She has been waiting ever since she saw pictures of school busses for her turn to ride the bus and her Mom wanted to allow her the opportunity to be the same as the other kids. It was harder to let her go than it would have been for me to take her. I will pick her up on the return trip because she would be on the bus with older children.