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OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) — Latoya Henderson had no idea her 5-year-old daughter with special needs was on the wrong bus or dropped at the wrong school. She said Friday morning wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“I was thinking that was her bus not knowing it was my son’s bus that goes to Belvedere Elementary,” said Henderson. “When I got to the school they just said ‘Yeah they just dropped her off they didn’t say anything.'”
Two of Henderson’s children are picked up at the end of the driveway for their special needs. Henderson’s son rides a different bus than her daughter but on Friday morning, the substitute bus driver allowed her daughter on.
Henderson explained she received an email from the school that stated her son’s bus would be coming late; instead the bus arrived early and her daughter mistakenly thought it was her bus. Henderson said didn’t get a notification from the school until about noon on Friday.
OPS released this statement about the incident:
“The regular driver for the bus route was absent the day of this incident, therefore an alternate driver covered the route. Per required protocol, that driver verified the pickup address was correct and then continued on to the designated school for that route.
Once the student arrived at the school, administrators realized the student was not a student who attended their school. Administrators immediately contacted.”
But for Henderson, the system should be different.
“Every time the kid gets on the bus, they check their name off, and that’s what I feel like they should do. I’ve seen so many stories of kids, getting on buses and getting dropped off and getting raped or killed. and i don’t want that for my daughter.”
Henderson explained she will no longer be letting her daughter ride the bus and she will take her to school. OPS has yet to comment on the status of the substitute bus driver.
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