Oh boy.

[Liberty Belle]

So, my son's (8) bus was about 15 minutes late and I called the school to ask if they knew what was going on. The secretary told me that they were getting ready to call parents because his bus was "stuck in a hole." She said they had another bus headed that way to pick up the kids and take them home and that everyone was ok and safe, so I didn't worry too much.

About 15 minutes after that, my son gets home, transported by another mom in the neighborhood. I know her (not well, but we've spoken and her kids have come to our house for a few minutes when she was running late to the bus stop - I offered since she's newly widowed and I'm at home right now) and wave, figuring she picked him up from the bus stop at the end of our street.

My son came in and told me that she brought him and several other kids home from the stuck bus.

So she calls me a few minutes later and says that apparently the bus slid on some ice and the back end slid down into a drainage ditch. My son said the bus driver kept trying to drive out of it and the bus was wobbling back and forth (he has anxiety and was pretty nervous) and he was yelling out that maybe they should let all the kids off the bus (said other kids were screaming, but he thought they were just trying to be funny).

She and a couple other parents got a bunch of kids off the bus and took them home! The bus driver didn't try to stop them. The mom said the monitor was calm, but the bus driver seemed a little upset about being stuck.

I'm not going to say anything, but I'm sure the school will find out. I feel bad for the bus driver, and I understand that she was upset, but she should have known better. I just hate that she's probably going to be fired, but you just can't let kids go with just anyone!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Oh my goodness, so many things went wrong there. I'm jut glad to hear your child is safe & home with you now, that must have been so scary for all those kids.... and you.

 

[Jessica14]

Personally, I would not hesitate to say something to transporation. Your child is supposed to be safe with this person after leaving school and before getting home. I think that most districts reqire written or oral notification by the parent if there is a change in who is going to get the child off of the bus.

Jessica

 

[Liberty Belle]

Oh my goodness, so many things went wrong there. I'm jut glad to hear your child is safe & home with you now, that must have been so scary for all those kids.... and you.

I wasn't worried. I just pictured the tire stuck in some mud or something. But, yeah, I feel for the kids who were scared.

I just hate that the bus driver did that.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Personally, I would not hesitate to say something to transporation. Your child is supposed to be safe with this person after leaving school and before getting home. I think that most districts reqire written or oral notification by the parent if there is a change in who is going to get the child off of the bus.

Jessica

I know and I'm kind of torn. Surely she realizes now she shouldn't have done that. I'm sure the school will find out. It's a mess.

 

[maslex]

So, my son's (8) but was about 15 minutes late and I called the school to ask if they knew what was going on. The secretary told me that they were getting ready to call parents because his bus was "stuck in a hole." She said they had another bus headed that way to pick up the kids and take them home and that everyone was ok and safe, so I didn't worry too much.

About 15 minutes after that, my son gets home, transported by another mom in the neighborhood. I know her (not well, but we've spoken and her kids have come to our house for a few minutes when she was running late to the bus stop - I offered since she's newly widowed and I'm at home right now) and wave, figuring she picked him up from the bus stop at the end of our street.

My son came in and told me that she brought him and several other kids home from the stuck bus.

So she calls me a few minutes later and says that apparently the bus slid on some ice and the back end slid down into a drainage ditch. My son said the bus driver kept trying to drive out of it and the bus was wobbling back and forth (he has anxiety and was pretty nervous) and he was yelling out that maybe they should let all the kids off the bus (said other kids were screaming, but he thought they were just trying to be funny).

She and a couple other parents got a bunch of kids off the bus and took them home! The bus driver didn't try to stop them. The mom said the monitor was calm, but the bus driver seemed a little upset about being stuck.

I'm not going to say anything, but I'm sure the school will find out. I feel bad for the bus driver, and I understand that she was upset, but she should have known better. I just hate that she's probably going to be fired, but you just can't let kids go with just anyone!

WHAT?!?!?!?!

I'm sorry...but I'm a school bus driver and this is just INSANE!!! I know that all states and school districts have their own rules and stuff, but this one is pretty much across the board, I think. You are NOT to release any students to anyone but their parents (or approved adult), whatsoever.

This particular thing happened to me a few years ago. It was winter, snow on the ground and I came around the corner, the tires caught the snow and I ended up in a ditch. No injuries, no damage to the bus but I was stuck. I called into the base to have another bus meet me so I could transfer the kids over and take them home. If a parent came up to the bus to take the child home, we have to call into base to get permission to let him go. But to let one parent take x-amount of kids off of the bus and bring them home???? Um, no. Those students are our responsibility from the time they get out of school until we drop them off at home. I mean if something had happened to your son or any of the other kids in her car, the bus driver really could have been held responsible.

Like I said, every state and district is different in the way they run things, but I was just when I read this.

 

[Liberty Belle]

WHAT?!?!?!?!

I'm sorry...but I'm a school bus driver and this is just INSANE!!! I know that all states and school districts have their own rules and stuff, but this one is pretty much across the board, I think. You are NOT to release any students to anyone but their parents (or approved adult), whatsoever.

This particular thing happened to me a few years ago. It was winter, snow on the ground and I came around the corner, the tires caught the snow and I ended up in a ditch. No injuries, no damage to the bus but I was stuck. I called into the base to have another bus meet me so I could transfer the kids over and take them home. If a parent came up to the bus to take the child home, we have to call into base to get permission to let him go. But to let one parent take x-amount of kids off of the bus and bring them home???? Um, no. Those students are our responsibility from the time they get out of school until we drop them off at home. I mean if something had happened to your son or any of the other kids in her car, the bus driver really could have been held responsible.

Like I said, every state and district is different in the way they run things, but I was just when I read this.

I know. I don't know what she was thinking. I'm assuming the rules here are the same for school - not even a grandparent can pick up a child without written permission beforehand. The bus driver didn't ask for ID or anything and knew my neighbor wasn't the parent of more than two of the kids - plus the other people who took kids weren't questioned, either.

 

[JessicaR]

Sounds like she just panicked. But in that position she needs to keep her wits about her and be in charge. Glad your son got home OK.

 

[MrsToad]

It would make me sad to get the driver into trouble, but I would feel obligated to call the transportation company. I would, though, say something along the lines of, "I'm very glad no one was hurt during the bus incident, and I'm happy everyone got home safely. However, I would like to know whether you will be using this incident as a training opportunity for ALL of your drivers. It is important to review emergency procedures frequently so that decisions will become almost instinctive for the drivers should they find themselves in a non-standard situation."

 

[java]

We lost a bus driver in a similar way- she skidded off the road- bus hit a mailbox and once she got the bus out of the ditch she just drove everybody home. (about 30 minutes late)

She never reported the accident and that's why she lost her job. I would be upset that they let some random parent take my child home.

 

[luvmy3]

I would report her and honestly wouldn't care if she was fired over it, she should have known better.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

That mom should not have been allowed to remove your kid from the bus. Unless, of course, the bus was on fire or something.

 

[kirstenb1]

This just makes me a little sad. Yes, there are rules, etc. But this was an unusual situation. Obviously it was very cold if the bus was stuck in ice. I wouldn't want anyone, adult or child stuck on a cold bus. I can totally picture myself or any other mom in our neighborhood picking up the kids and dropping them off. This is common sense.

This situation is where you have common sense vs bureaucracy. Before anyone jumps on me, yes, I understand rules. I understand I could in theory be a psycho picking up random neighborhood kids. But my kids have the same bus drivers for many years. We parents do what needs doing. If there's a delay due to weather, the SAHMs will stay with the kids at the bus stop, while the working moms get to work, etc. Our older dd's bus has broken down in the neighborhood, and parents have jumped in to get all kids home. In short, there are exceptions due to unusual circumstances.

 

[Agri]

Shouldn't the monitor have been stopping the parents as well?

 

[Jessica14]

I know and I'm kind of torn. Surely she realizes now she shouldn't have done that. I'm sure the school will find out. It's a mess.

Often the school won't find out if no one says anything. My friend's DD was lost because the bus driver couldn't figure out to drop her at after school care. She fell asleep and he found her at the bus garage. He brings her back to the day care and calls out of the bus door to some parent he didn't know (nor did DD) to escort her into the building. My friend was furious, made a huge stink (as she should have), and the next day there was a different driver.

We had another incident where preschoolers and kindergarteners were dropped off earlier than usual, no parents present. They went to their front doors on their own. No one said anything and the driver continued on the route another year. Had it been me, I would have said something.

Please don't assume that they will find out. I'm sure that the monitor and driver will not say anything as they have to know they did the wrong thing by letting the kids go.
Jessica

 

[golfgal]

How old were the kids that went with the mom???

 

[luvsJack]

Maybe someone could find out exactly how everything happened? If the driver was still on the bus trying to figure out what to do and the mom came up and was getting the kids off the bus; maybe the driver thought the mother was just going to be helpful and get them off the bus so she could get it out of the hole not drive off with the kids.

It seems to me if the driver was busy dealing with the stuck bus, the monitor should have been dealing with parents and kids.

Also, doesn't this driver know that she picks up the other mom's kids at your house? Maybe she assumed (and she shouldn't have) that there was some kind of agreement with your two families on picking up the kids.

There is just a lot to this situation that makes it very different from a normal situation of letting a child off at the wrong house or something. She may need to be reprimanded but not fired.

But, then I am from an area that if my child was in this situation I would PREFER that the driver let my neighbor bring dd home rather than sitting on a cold bus that was stuck in a hole and shaking back and forth. I know almost every parent in dd's class and would definitly know all of the parents of the kid's on her bus. So the situation in your area and your knowledge of the other parents may make what you need to do different.

 

[Liberty Belle]

How old were the kids that went with the mom???

My son is 8. I'm not sure of the ages of the other kids, but all elementary.

And there were actually three (I believe, from what my neighbor said) parents (two moms and a dad) who were taking kids from the bus.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Maybe someone could find out exactly how everything happened? If the driver was still on the bus trying to figure out what to do and the mom came up and was getting the kids off the bus; maybe the driver thought the mother was just going to be helpful and get them off the bus so she could get it out of the hole not drive off with the kids.

It seems to me if the driver was busy dealing with the stuck bus, the monitor should have been dealing with parents and kids.

Also, doesn't this driver know that she picks up the other mom's kids at your house? Maybe she assumed (and she shouldn't have) that there was some kind of agreement with your two families on picking up the kids.

There is just a lot to this situation that makes it very different from a normal situation of letting a child off at the wrong house or something. She may need to be reprimanded but not fired.

But, then I am from an area that if my child was in this situation I would PREFER that the driver let my neighbor bring dd home rather than sitting on a cold bus that was stuck in a hole and shaking back and forth. I know almost every parent in dd's class and would definitly know all of the parents of the kid's on her bus. So the situation in your area and your knowledge of the other parents may make what you need to do different.

What happened (they go somewhere else now) is the mom's two boys would walk up the street at the end of the day to our house, if their mom wasn't at the bus stop to pick them up. So the bus driver probably saw them walking with my son, but wouldn't know they came to our house.

I only know two parents of kids who ride ds's bus. It's a fairly big town and subdivision.

 

[Becky2005]

Does the bus normally drop off at each child's house? Is it standard to have a parent meeting all the kids at the bus stop?

I'm just wondering because the year my elementary child rode the bus I could tell you there were children that came to the bus stop that the driver NEVER saw the parent the entire year.

The kids were dropped off at stops and then scattered to go to their homes. The bus driver would have no idea if the child ever made it to the house as some of them you couldn't even see from the bus stop. Ours is one of them, the stop was up the road and around the corner. Actually even the Middle School & High School bus stops you can't see our house either.

There were usually 3, sometimes 4 of us regular parents that were always there at pick-up or drop-off, so I could see a situation where the bus driver would have seen any of us and knew us from that stop & knew which kids were at that stop but didn't know all the kids parents.

I do find it interesting that every single kid was willing to go with a parent without so much as asking for a code word as some are taught or saying no for getting into their car. Unless they DID question it and the monitor told them it was OK to do. In that case, definitely the monitors fault (we don't have monitors on our busses though so ??? on that).