I am livid!~

[DawnM]

Yes, JAWM.

My 6 year old takes the school "bus."  He is in day treatment at a local school so the bus he takes is really just a mini van with 3 kids in it, but we are on the other side of town, so it is about 30 min. or so.   He gets out of school at 1:30 and gets home by 2:00-2:15pm.

There is a substitute bus driver who drove him 2 weeks ago.   DH went to the bus stop to get him and when they pulled up, the lady in the vehicle got out to open the back door to let him out and the driver didn't put it in park and it jerked over 3ft and almost hit the lady and my son was jerked back to his seat.   Thankfully he hadn't started getting out yet or I don't know what would have happened.

Then today, the same sub driver was driving and got LOST!   It took him almost a full 2 hours to find the bus stop.   My husband was out there over an hour waiting at the stop.   No communication, no anything!   We have the APP but we thought it wasn't working because it should never take this long!   He got home after 3:30pm!

I am so mad at both situations.   I have emailed the person in charge and reported all of it and told them that I don't feel safe with my kid in the vehicle if he is driving.   I asked that he not drive my child.

Anything else I should be addressing?

GRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Faith-manor]

The getting lost thing is dumb because GPS, Google Maps, and a simple phone call to the bus garage could have solved the issue. So the lack of critical thinking on the part of the bus driver is ridiculous. Not putting the van in park is just a whole nother level of scariness.

He needs to have a different kind of job.

[Lecka]

I would forward your email to the boss’s boss as well.  I think this is worth forwarding to the school board or the superintendent.  This is not safe.  

[prairiewindmomma]

I agree that is ridiculous.

Fwiw, when we have had bus issues, I call the bus barn and they talk directly to the bus. They livetime GPS where the bus is and things are addressed immediately. 
 

Is there a para on the bus also? There is for sped buses here. The para is another witness to the hijinks if you need to document. If transport is in the IEP, you can always call an IEP meeting if you need a hammer to wield. 

[DawnM]

21 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I agree that is ridiculous.

Fwiw, when we have had bus issues, I call the bus barn and they talk directly to the bus. They livetime GPS where the bus is and things are addressed immediately. 
 

Is there a para on the bus also? There is for sped buses here. The para is another witness to the hijinks if you need to document. If transport is in the IEP, you can always call an IEP meeting if you need a hammer to wield. 

It is not in the IEP.   

I did call the school.   They told me to contact a person at the transportation department.  I contacted her and she said to contact someone else.   I am on person #4 now and haven't received a response.   GRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to contact a parent of a former student who is a bus driver for the district and see if she has any suggestions.   

 

[Catwoman]

I don't want to scare you or seem paranoid, but have you spoken with your son to make sure the driver never stopped and parked the bus during those 2 hours? Were there other kids on the bus?

It's hard to imagine the driver having gotten lost for more than a few minutes, and I would be very concerned that this person might have either tried to harm your son, or to have intentionally gotten "lost" to see if you and your dh were paying enough attention to when your son got home from school. 

Again, I hate to post this, but I would be very worried that this driver might not have innocent intentions for future rides home on the bus, and I would be sure to file a direct complaint in person with the superintendent of the district.

This is just wrong on so many levels. I hope it's just incompetency, but I wouldn't take any chances.

[Catwoman]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

The getting lost thing is dumb because GPS, Google Maps, and a simple phone call to the bus garage could have solved the issue. So the lack of critical thinking on the part of the bus driver is ridiculous. Not putting the van in park is just a whole nother level of scariness.

He needs to have a different kind of job.

I agree -- and it's honestly hard to imagine that pretty much anyone with a driver's license doesn't know how to use their phone to get directions to an address, particularly someone who drives kids to and from school every day as a substitute driver. Substitutes would be even more likely than a regular driver to use some manner of GPS, because they would be accustomed to having to find unfamiliar addresses.

The driver's story sounds very suspicious to me. I'm hoping it's just incompetency, but the "I got lost" thing sounds like a lie.

[DawnM]

7 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

I don't want to scare you or seem paranoid, but have you spoken with your son to make sure the driver never stopped and parked the bus during those 2 hours? Were there other kids on the bus?

It's hard to imagine the driver having gotten lost for more than a few minutes, and I would be very concerned that this person might have either tried to harm your son, or to have intentionally gotten "lost" to see if you and your dh were paying enough attention to when your son got home from school. 

Again, I hate to post this, but I would be very worried that this driver might not have innocent intentions for future rides home on the bus, and I would be sure to file a direct complaint in person with the superintendent of the district.

This is just wrong on so many levels. I hope it's just incompetency, but I wouldn't take any chances.

There was a 2nd adult in the vehicle who we do trust and like, so I don't think anything happened, but I will ask him.

3 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

I agree -- and it's honestly hard to imagine that pretty much anyone with a driver's license doesn't know how to use their phone to get directions to an address, particularly someone who drives kids to and from school every day as a substitute driver. Substitutes would be even more likely than a regular driver to use some manner of GPS, because they would be accustomed to having to find unfamiliar addresses.

The driver's story sounds very suspicious to me. I'm hoping it's just incompetency, but the "I got lost" thing sounds like a lie.

This guy is an idiot and I don't want my child on the bus with him ever again.

[SKL]

They should have the best, most experienced drivers on the bus with kids who have special needs.  These kids tend to not do well with delays and surprises.  I hope you get results soon.

[Annie G]

There was a second adult and between them they were lost for 2 hours? Yeah, that’s nuts. Even if second adult is just there to supervise kids, at some point they should have had a discussion about ‘being lost’. 
I hope you can get someone to listen to you.

[Janeway]

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

I don't want to scare you or seem paranoid, but have you spoken with your son to make sure the driver never stopped and parked the bus during those 2 hours? Were there other kids on the bus?

It's hard to imagine the driver having gotten lost for more than a few minutes, and I would be very concerned that this person might have either tried to harm your son, or to have intentionally gotten "lost" to see if you and your dh were paying enough attention to when your son got home from school. 

Again, I hate to post this, but I would be very worried that this driver might not have innocent intentions for future rides home on the bus, and I would be sure to file a direct complaint in person with the superintendent of the district.

This is just wrong on so many levels. I hope it's just incompetency, but I wouldn't take any chances.

This is what I have been thinking. I knew of a bus driver who sometimes lost his way. Parents complained do they put him on a different route. Years later, I heard that some parents thought he might have been abusing the kids, or abusing the last child dropped off, that sort of thing. Nothing ever happened to him, the kids were not incredibly verbal as it was a special education bus. It is horrifying to think of what might have been happening during that missing time.

[prairiewindmomma]

Fwiw, I’d want to review the cameras from the trip. I’d make that request when you talk to the bus barn.

[Tap]

I can understand getting lost if they mixed up Street/Ave or thought they knew where they were going and ended up some where else. My street hops/skips and jumps across town. I had someone once go to the opposite side of town because they knew my street was there.....but didn't realize that it was the wrong end of the street. It cuts out in the middle and from where they were to where I am is 25 minutes difference! 

That doesn't explain 2 hours tho.

My daughter rode Special needs transport for 10 years. I had the number for dispatch on my phone. If the bus was more than 15 minutes late, I was on the phone with them. Too many times I got the 'substitute got lost, short on staff/running late, didn't think she was riding today' etc. 

The safety issue, is huge!!! We can all make mistakes but this is two that ++YOU++ know about. Hopefully that is the only two, but something tells me there are more and the company is just desperate for drivers. 

[Tap]

7 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Fwiw, I’d want to review the cameras from the trip. I’d make that request when you talk to the bus barn.

Absolutely! You are 100% entitled to request this. They will likely not show you, but you can request a review of the tape to explain the 2hours. 

[Catwoman]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

There was a 2nd adult in the vehicle who we do trust and like, so I don't think anything happened, but I will ask him.

This guy is an idiot and I don't want my child on the bus with him ever again.

I can’t figure out how two adults could have possibly gotten lost for two hours. I’m glad you really trust the second person because after something like that happened, I’m not so sure I would trust either one of those adults.

[Just Kate]

5 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

I can’t figure out how two adults could have possibly gotten lost for two hours. I’m glad you really trust the second person because after something like that happened, I’m not so sure I would trust either one of those adults.

This is exactly what I was thinking!! I am glad to know there was another adult there but I just can’t figure out how two adults got lost for that long. It just doesn’t make sense (and I would want an explanation if I were you!!). 

[Carol in Cal.]

I have a friend whose almost nonverbal k aged son was left on his transport bus because he did not know to get off and a substitute did not cue him and failed to notice him still in his seat when they left the bus at the end of the morning run.  My friend thought he was safely at school, as usual, until she got a complaint call that she is supposed to notify them when he is not coming in.  It took the school system several hours to even figure out where to look.  During that entire time he was just sitting on that bus, in the yard or whereever they park them all day, waiting.  Horrendous story.

[Catwoman]

7 minutes ago, Just Kate said:

This is exactly what I was thinking!! I am glad to know there was another adult there but I just can’t figure out how two adults got lost for that long. It just doesn’t make sense (and I would want an explanation if I were you!!). 

The more I think about it, the less happy I am that there was a second adult there, because I feel the same way you do — how could 2 adults possibly get lost in one suburban town for 2 hours??? 

Maybe I’m just overly paranoid, but I wouldn’t be trusting either of those adults right now. 

[Annie G]

I guess technically he was 1-1.25 hours later than normal, but that is still a LOT of time to be off schedule.  I like the suggestion of asking to review the camera footage. 

[Catwoman]

I’m so sorry I didn’t think to ask this earlier, but how is your son feeling about what happened, Dawn?

It must have been so scary and upsetting for such a little boy to have been stuck on a school bus for 2 hours!  Two hours is a very long time, especially when you’re only 6 years old and your mom and dad aren’t with you. 😞 

[Heartstrings]

2 hours ago, Annie G said:

There was a second adult and between them they were lost for 2 hours? Yeah, that’s nuts. Even if second adult is just there to supervise kids, at some point they should have had a discussion about ‘being lost’. 
I hope you can get someone to listen to you.

I agree.  This makes 0 sense.  The 2nd adult should have at minimum called the bus barn. 

[Melissa in Australia]

4 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

I have a friend whose almost nonverbal k aged son was left on his transport bus because he did not know to get off and a substitute did not cue him and failed to notice him still in his seat when they left the bus at the end of the morning run.  My friend thought he was safely at school, as usual, until she got a complaint call that she is supposed to notify them when he is not coming in.  It took the school system several hours to even figure out where to look.  During that entire time he was just sitting on that bus, in the yard or whereever they park them all day, waiting.  Horrendous story.

This has happened at least twice in Australia and resulted in one child dying 

[Melissa in Australia]

MY twins travel on a special needs bus. They ring us if they are going to be  as little as 5 minutes late

[SKL]

The way I'm picturing how they got "that lost," maybe they missed a stop and decided to just finish the rest of the route and then go back to that stop.

It's still not acceptable, especially with a special needs 6yo passenger.  At a minimum, they should have informed the parents ASAP.

Edited April 11 by SKL

[DawnM]

10 hours ago, Catwoman said:

I can’t figure out how two adults could have possibly gotten lost for two hours. I’m glad you really trust the second person because after something like that happened, I’m not so sure I would trust either one of those adults.

Yeah, and the more I thought about it, the more mad I got.   That 2nd adult runs the route every day, she should have known where to go!

I did ask him what happened and he said he didn't know and that he wasn't hurt in any way and no one laid a hand on him.  I didn't get the feeling he was hiding anything or afraid to tell me anything.   

[DawnM]

I have requested that my son never get in a vehicle he is driving and said I don't feel that my son is safe.   I am hoping they call today to discuss.

I am not sure there are cameras in there.   It is literally a mini-van.   He rides an actual bus in the morning (for only 3 kids!), but then a mini-van with 3 kids in the afternoon.  

It is not a SPED bus, it is for the day treatment program.   He does have an IEP for behavior and because he is more than 30% behind in math skills, but the program is not a SPED program.    I have been told that all of the kids in the program are either foster kids or adopted out of foster care, like my son.   

These kids have been through it. I can't even imagine some of their starts in life.  I know my own son's start was horrific.   

[Harriet Vane]

Dawn, I am horrified with you. This is absolutely unacceptable and you are doing the right thing. You keep shouting about this from the rooftops. Tell everyone you possibly can. Don’t back down.

[mom31257]

I'm so sorry, Dawn!!! It sounds like you are taking the right steps, and I hope they will consider never using this person again. 

[Heartstrings]

Did you ask how likely they are to comply with your request on him not driving your son? I’d guess drivers are assigned based on need and that they aren’t likely to bother keeping up with it. You might need a back up plan.  

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Heartstrings said:

Did you ask how likely they are to comply with your request on him not driving your son? I’d guess drivers are assigned based on need and that they aren’t likely to bother keeping up with it. You might need a back up plan.  

I dont' know but I got a response this am that didn't really answer my questions, so I emailed back and got a more detailed response.

They are going to talk to him and see what happened but they didn't say if he would be used again.   I made sure to say, "I do NOT feel safe with my child in a car with that person, I do not want him riding with him again!"

They did say he is a substitute driver.   But that is still not an explanation of his incompetence.   

 

[Tap]

2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I dont' know but I got a response this am that didn't really answer my questions, so I emailed back and got a more detailed response.

They are going to talk to him and see what happened but they didn't say if he would be used again.   I made sure to say, "I do NOT feel safe with my child in a car with that person, I do not want him riding with him again!"

They did say he is a substitute driver.   But that is still not an explanation of his incompetence.   

 

If you are not getting an appropriate response, send a letter to the superintendent of schools.

[prairiewindmomma]

Keep focused on your complaint. Your concern is not primarily that he was late (though that is a legitimate complaint). It’s that you have two hours of time that is unaccounted for. You arent going to get direct answers so start with the simple ones—verify with his teacher that he boarded the minivan at the given and appropriate time and work your way forward.
 

 

[Tap]

23 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Keep focused on your complaint. Your concern is not primarily that he was late (though that is a legitimate complaint). It’s that you have two hours of time that is unaccounted for. You arent going to get direct answers so start with the simple ones—verify with his teacher that he boarded the minivan at the given and appropriate time and work your way forward.
 

 

And focus on "I want to know where my son was, during those hours". I would not focus on the driver, but your son and his well being.

[TechWife]

5 hours ago, Tap said:

If you are not getting an appropriate response, send a letter to the superintendent of schools.

And the school board. 

[Innisfree]

1 hour ago, TechWife said:

And the school board. 

Yes. When I had a problem with a substitute driver, my school board representative was helpful, at least with explaining what happened.