I was not at the school bus stop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you have to see that your approach is just the first step in deciding that "Hey, I can stop in for a coffee and a pedicure, because if I'm not at the bus stop they'll just take Larla back to school and entertain her."

There is literally no reason why you couldn't have been at the bus stop. You can tell time. You knew you wouldn't make it. But you hung out at the doctor's office anyway.

Don't blame the bus driver. Your kid. Your responsibility. Your fault.

This is where I'm stuck. The OP is STILL arguing that the bus driver going back to school is a reasonable option for childcare for being late to the bus stop. Like the school says, 'parents, if you're running late, simply swing by the school and we'll have your child waiting for you. No need to rush, or to call us. You know we have procedures in place for just this situation. No worries."

Yes it's best if they keep the 5 yo until they can be released to a parent but that is NOT something to depend on if you're running late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SO many of the PPs are declaring that the bus driver SHOULD NOT let the child off the bus without a parent present. That may be what you think should happen, but at least in MoCo it is not the formal policy. Bus drivers are not under any obligation to confirm that a child has been met by a parent or caregiver. You may think that's wrong,* but it's the reality. So plan accordingly.

It is the formal policy for kindergartners, and OP's kid is 5.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. She's "imperfect," but she expects the system to back her up 100% without fail.

Sorry, OP, but that ain't gonna happen. Make a plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So you were running late so just assumed you'd pick her up at school? As if this is a legitimate alternate pick up location that the school set up in case the regular bus stop didn't work for you that day?

Are you joking?

No, I'm not. I assume it's a legitimate alternate pick up location because my child is not the only one there. The school is not closed, they have after school kids there, even DD's teacher stays at school till the end of the day. It's not a huge inconvenience, if it happens like once a year.

Hey moron, your child is NOT in aftercare! And now because the teacher is finishing up classroom work it's OK to think your child should be brought back to school and handed around to staff until you show up?? Unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So you were running late so just assumed you'd pick her up at school? As if this is a legitimate alternate pick up location that the school set up in case the regular bus stop didn't work for you that day?

Are you joking?

No, I'm not. I assume it's a legitimate alternate pick up location because my child is not the only one there. The school is not closed, they have after school kids there, even DD's teacher stays at school till the end of the day. It's not a huge inconvenience, if it happens like once a year.

Hey moron, your child is NOT in aftercare! And now because the teacher is finishing up classroom work it's OK to think your child should be brought back to school and handed around to staff until you show up?? Unbelievable.

Give it up. OP is a selfish parent who feels entitled to having the school take responsibility for her mistakes.

[Anonymous]

OP,

There are times that even the most conscientious parents will run late. This is what you should do -

1) Get the phone number of all the parents on the bus-stop and ask them to wait at the bus stop with Larla in case you are late. Text them to let them know when you are running late. Return the courtesy to them.
2) Give your house keys to a trusted neighbor or ask Larla to wait at the neighbors house and text and/or call you.

It is not a failure as a parent, but some shortcoming as a social animal that has prevented you for creating this sort of safety net for yourself and your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The buses don't automatically return to the school. It would be making a special trip for your kid.

+1
This sends the bus off its normal route and inconveniences the driver. Please don't look at it like this is a real option if you're late.

+1

Yes, inconveniencing many other children and parents, some of whom might now be late to meet a school bus...

Yes, it does. It automatically comes back to school. After he drops off all the children. This is also a place where they park for the night. He has to come back to school.

The principal sent everyone an email a few weeks ago saying the kids will be returned to school when parents are not present.

My lesson is that drivers will make mistakes and I shouldn't rely on the school to enforce their own policy. I should have contingency plan in case the school's contingency plan fails.


But I can't believe all the teachers posting here that they have no responsibility for five year olds in their care. Yes, you do. It's your job to make sure the child is safe when parents are not present. You should be acting in the best interest of the children, not yourselves.

A few posters asked about the vitriol? Here's why. 5 pages in and OP still won't take any responsibility. From the descriptions, it doesn't sound like something unpreventable (flat on the highway or something). You can always leave an appointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

There are times that even the most conscientious parents will run late. This is what you should do -

1) Get the phone number of all the parents on the bus-stop and ask them to wait at the bus stop with Larla in case you are late. Text them to let them know when you are running late. Return the courtesy to them.
2) Give your house keys to a trusted neighbor or ask Larla to wait at the neighbors house and text and/or call you.

It is not a failure as a parent, but some shortcoming as a social animal that has prevented you for creating this sort of safety net for yourself and your child.

+1
You could even give your child a housekey or clip it to the inside of her backpack, just in case of emergency. As a 6 year old, I knew to stay on the bus until I reached a neighbors house, if no one was there to pick me up. I remember being stressed, but was able to handle it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

"I was running late" in OP's post sounds pretty lame.

I had a doctor's appointment which ran a little late. I drove like a lunatic, but when I caught up with the school bus at the next stop, my daughter was not on the bus and the driver told me "oh, she already got off".

Please don't do that, no matter how late you are.

Ah, but who cares about all the other, unimportant people on the road whose lives she was risking by driving like a lunatic! It was far more important that the OP try to avoid the risk of her precious child possibly being upset for a few minutes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SO many of the PPs are declaring that the bus driver SHOULD NOT let the child off the bus without a parent present. That may be what you think should happen, but at least in MoCo it is not the formal policy. Bus drivers are not under any obligation to confirm that a child has been met by a parent or caregiver. You may think that's wrong,* but it's the reality. So plan accordingly.

It is the formal policy for kindergartners, and OP's kid is 5.

It may be formal policy, but it's not actually what happens. I'm a PP and two kindergarteners who ride my daughter's bus have been dropped off without a parent or caregiver there to collect them - one at the wrong stop. Parents need to make a plan with other parents and they need to talk to their kids about what to do if someone isn't there to meet them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SO many of the PPs are declaring that the bus driver SHOULD NOT let the child off the bus without a parent present. That may be what you think should happen, but at least in MoCo it is not the formal policy. Bus drivers are not under any obligation to confirm that a child has been met by a parent or caregiver. You may think that's wrong,* but it's the reality. So plan accordingly.

It is the formal policy for kindergartners, and OP's kid is 5.

I have an MCPS kindergartener and an older child, and having been in the OP's shoes once, a long time ago, I have gone over this several times with our school as well as with the bus depot. It is NOT the bus driver's obligation to ensure an adult for each child exiting the bus, no matter what their grade. If you think otherwise, call the bus depot. I queried again to the MCPS bus depot rep who was at my K student's orientation last spring. And in six years of bus waiting, I know from experience none of the multiple drivers who work our route (on a busy street, but not too far from several elementaries) make even the slightest effort to confirm that kids are getting off at the right stop or that there is an adult present to meet them.

As I said before, you may not like this, I may not like this, but it is what it is, and as long as you persist in believing otherwise, you're spreading misinformation .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again.

I talked to DD and we made a plan.

a) If I'm not at the stop, she does not get off the bus.

b) If she's off the bus and no one is at home she goes to one of our 4 neighbor's houses.

Good plan. You just should have implemented it in August.

No, she shouldn't have implemented that plan, EVER. She just gave her daughter conflicting information. If she teaches her daughter to follow a, then b is moot.

So not only does OP fail at time management and then proceed to take a "this is everyone's fault but mine" attitude, but she can't comprehend basic logic.

Somebody please find out who OP is and call CPS to have the poor innocent child taken away before something more serious than sobbing in the street occurs. Seriously, there needs to be an IQ test for breeding, with mandatory sterilization for people falling less than quadruple OP's score.

[Anonymous]

If the policy is to not let a K student off the bus without a parent present, then she should not have gotten off the bus. She should have been taken back to the school.

OP, when you knew you would be late could you not have called the school or transportation office to let someone know? The driver could have been informed.

Your DD needs a solid back up plan. Yes, unforeseeable things come up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+1
You could even give your child a housekey or clip it to the inside of her backpack, just in case of emergency. As a 6 year old, I knew to stay on the bus until I reached a neighbors house, if no one was there to pick me up. I remember being stressed, but was able to handle it.

A house key??? You are not allowed to leave a 5 year old Ina house alone, honey.

An emergency can last for hours. A child is not supposed to be released by himself without a supervising adult.

it doesn't matter why - getting my nails done or being in a car accident. An adult should not release the chid on his own. Call police or CPS for fuck's sake but don't just drop a kid on a street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[

Somebody please find out who OP is and call CPS to have the poor innocent child taken away before something more serious than sobbing in the street occurs.

And why don't you call your pharmacy so they can up your Valium.