KILLEEN, Texas — “She was in a whole other neighborhood. I would not be able to find my child,” said Trinity’s Mom Crystal Watson.
It is not the way any parent wants their child to start off the school year, getting dropped off at the wrong bus stop.
“This could have been a missing child situation,” Crystal said.
Tuesday, Trinity Watson was on her way home from Saegart Elementary, when the 5th grader got off at the wrong stop. She immediately called her mom Crystal Watson.
“She ended up calling me and was like 'mom I cannot see you I do not know where you are.' I was like 'what are you talking about.' She was like 'I got off the bus' and I was like 'baby I’m here at the bus stop and I do not see you,'” Crystal said.
Trinity was dropped off four streets away from her actual stop. A parent nearby stepped in to help Trinity.
“She tried to flag down the bus driver and she said ‘hey I’m not sure if she’s at the right stop. Can you help her?’ The bus driver told her and my daughter she’s not obligated to make sure that she gets off at the right stop,” Crystal said.
Crystal said she called the school and told them about the situation. She said administrators apologized and are looking into the situation.
Crystal said the 10-year-old has been home-schooled the last three years and it is her first year catching the bus again.
“The first week of school is often hectic. We understand that we know that. We are working to get new students enrolled and getting those transportation eligibility requirements met. We also wanna make sure we are refining our bus stops,” said KISD Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Taina Maya.
KISD officials said they know that there are delays and mix-ups with drop off points during the first few weeks of schools.
Officials said they are always working on ways to improve transportation. They’re asking parents to help out as well.
“It’s really important that they talk to their students about those routes. Where the drop off location is and what that is. Give them visible things to look out for so that the child is familiar with their area,” Maya said.
Officials said during the second week of school they normally have more students riding the bus. They actively monitor their buses to make sure every child has a ride to and from school.
