I was not at the school bus stop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but I don't think a driver should drop 5 year old off without a parent present. The driver should have kept her on the bus and taken her along with him as he finished his drops, then called you to pick her up from wherever the bus ends up.

The bus drivers in our school system would return the child to school for parent pickup.

[Anonymous]

You mentioned that you knew you would be late. Why didn't you call the school, transportation center, or a neighbor and make a contingency plan?

I agree, if the driver was aware of the age of the child s/he shouldn't have let your child walk home alone. But the reality is, the bus driver doesn't know the age of every child and has a lot of kids to drop off on a tight schedule. If they waited to confirm that every parent was present they would never get their routes done.

It sounds like you used a policy intended for emergencies as back-up care and it didn't work out. I've seen lots of parents like you - those who pick up their child an hour and a half late on early release days because they know the administrative staff won't leave your child alone, even though they aren't necessarily getting paid for that extra time. A one-time actual emergency is ok if you call and let people know what is going on, but assuming your child will be taken care of beyond the time you are supposed to be there - forcing others to sacrifice their schedule for yours is not ok.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in kindergarten, and twice this year there have been bus issues with other neighborhood kindergarteners. One child got off at the wrong stop on the second day - he walked up the street to meet his panicked caregiver. Another was put on the bus on a day she was meant to go to aftercare, and arrived sobbing because mom wasn't there. Another parent took her home.

In MCPS we were told kindergarteners wouldn't be left without an adult to meet them, but it's not true. Talk to the other parents at the bus stop - trade phone numbers so you can reach someone if there's an emergency and you're stuck somewhere. Talk to the kids too - tell them to speak up if they see a buddy getting off at the wrong stop.

[Anonymous]

Tell your child that if you're ever not at the bus stop that she's to walk home and let herself in and wait for you. Either you leave the back door unlocked or leave a key hidden somewhere. People run late and at least if it happens again you won't have to worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh my gosh- these are horrible, mean responses. Yes, absolutely be on time and be responsible, but unforeseen things can happen.

The school should not drop off a five year old alone.

Agree. Plus 1.

I also agree and I'm far from a helicopter parent. Take the kid back to school.sure it was OP's fault, but that's not relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait a minute - as a teacher you don't sound like you care about our kids at all. No one is saying you are the parent or caregiver but would you just leave a child wandering like that? I wouldn't and I'm not someone who decided to go into child education.

YOU left the child wandering like that!

What if I was in a hospital or had a car accident or something? Things happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait a minute - as a teacher you don't sound like you care about our kids at all. No one is saying you are the parent or caregiver but would you just leave a child wandering like that? I wouldn't and I'm not someone who decided to go into child education.

YOU left the child wandering like that!

What if I was in a hospital or had a car accident or something? Things happen.

You weren't. The bus driver should have bailed you out, but it is totally your fault.

[Anonymous]

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".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+ a million. This is not a national emergency. Teach your kid what to do if she expects you to be there and you're not. This obsessively protective parenting crap is getting out of control.

I've never discussed it yet, it hasn't come up. Because she's not supposed to be in a situation without a supervising adult. I am not allowed to leave her at home alone or anywhere else by law.

[Anonymous]

I've been a mom for 25 years and have several children. I am FAR from a supermom and I have made my share of mistakes. But I have never been late picking up a child or not been there at the bus stop. Especially when my kids were that little.

I would feel like a complete failure. I would vow never to let it happen again. I would feel tremendous guilt. The LAST thing that would occur to be would be to blame someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell your child that if you're ever not at the bus stop that she's to walk home and let herself in and wait for you. Either you leave the back door unlocked or leave a key hidden somewhere. People run late and at least if it happens again you won't have to worry about it.

I told her not to get off the bus and come back to school if I'm not there. I also told her she can go to the neighbors and ask for help. Neighbors are not always at home so it's not a safe bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been a mom for 25 years and have several children. I am FAR from a supermom and I have made my share of mistakes. But I have never been late picking up a child or not been there at the bus stop. Especially when my kids were that little.

I would feel like a complete failure. I would vow never to let it happen again. I would feel tremendous guilt. The LAST thing that would occur to be would be to blame someone else.

My goodness. I don't feel like a failure at all. I counted that if I was late, the kid would just stay on the bus and I'd pick her up from school. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a mom for 25 years and have several children. I am FAR from a supermom and I have made my share of mistakes. But I have never been late picking up a child or not been there at the bus stop. Especially when my kids were that little.

I would feel like a complete failure. I would vow never to let it happen again. I would feel tremendous guilt. The LAST thing that would occur to be would be to blame someone else.

My goodness. I don't feel like a failure at all. I counted that if I was late, the kid would just stay on the bus and I'd pick her up from school. No big deal.

Oh my gosh you are clueless. The bus driver is not your after school daycare provider. Really, this is why some people should not have children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But the the school bus dropped off my 5 year old anyway. Wtf? She walked alone, by herself, for one block and came to the locked house. No one was at home. She just stood there, on the street, and sobbed. Lucky I was running just a few minutes later.

Yeah, personal responsibility OP. This is your fault, sorry that your child went through that as I am sure she was really scared. shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a mom for 25 years and have several children. I am FAR from a supermom and I have made my share of mistakes. But I have never been late picking up a child or not been there at the bus stop. Especially when my kids were that little.

I would feel like a complete failure. I would vow never to let it happen again. I would feel tremendous guilt. The LAST thing that would occur to be would be to blame someone else.

My goodness. I don't feel like a failure at all. I counted that if I was late, the kid would just stay on the bus and I'd pick her up from school. No big deal.

Oh my gosh you are clueless. The bus driver is not your after school daycare provider. Really, this is why some people should not have children.

You are out of line, PP. At least in FCPS, the bus driver is not to drop kindergartners off at the bus stop without an adult or older child there (not even elementary-aged older sibling). OP, did you mention which school district? You need to call the school and clarify the policies.