PERRYSBURG, Ohio — The school bus is supposed to be a safe zone for kids, giving parents peace of mind. But the bus gave one Perrysburg mom and her young son quite the scare when the new school year began.
The mother is up in arms after she says her 11-year-old son was dropped off at the wrong bus stop, leaving him stranded and unaware of his surroundings.
"He was lost in the rain, called me from a stranger's phone number and he was scared and crying," the mother, who WTOL is identifying as Jessica, said.
Jessica's son was on the bus, on his way home, but construction in the city caused the bus driver to back-track on her route.
The 11-year-old got confused, ultimately hopping off at the wrong stop with no idea where he was.
"There are so many what-ifs," Jessica said. "What if my child was abducted? Yes, we live in Perrysburg. Perrysburg is not a bubble of perfectness."
The bus driver apparently dropped the boy off at the entrance of the family's neighborhood, less than a mile from their home. However, it's not the distance that Jessica was frustrated about; it's what she said appears to be a lack of taking responsibility.
"All I really wanted was an apology from the bus driver," she said. "Take responsibility, say, 'Hey, I apologize, it shouldn't have happened.'"
In a statement to WTOL, a spokesperson at Perrysburg Schools said, "We feel badly that a 6th grade student was dropped off at a location within their neighborhood that was not their designated bus stop earlier this week. We appreciate the parent bringing it to our attention. We continue to work with staff to figure out how situations like this may be avoided in the future, including encouraging them to ask more questions before dropping students off when routes have been disrupted due to construction. We are grateful that the situation was resolved quickly and that no one was harmed."
Jessica said Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Tom Hosler did return her call when she initially reached out about the incident but said he did not follow up.
When asked if an 11-year-old should bear any responsibility, Jessica said, "Yes. It's actually my responsibility as a parent, and I take full responsibility for not showing him, touring the neighborhood and things like that. I should have done that."
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