Student who rides bus home ends up in after-school program

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s a parents nightmare, not knowing where their child is.

For one Savannah mother, that was her reality for several hours last week.

LaToya Jordan’s five-year-old daughter was supposed to get off at a bus stop last Tuesday afternoon. But when she didn’t show up, Jordan began to panic.

Jordan says that she contacted the police, New Hampstead K-8 campus police, and the school office to find her daughter Bella.

It was over two hours before she was located safely in the school with an after-school care program.

Jordan says she doesn’t understand how this could’ve happened, as each student is given a color-coded tag on their backpack to show if they are bus-riders, parent pick-ups, or after school care kids.

We asked the school district about what happened and they released a statement saying in part quote - “The child did not board the bus at dismissal. The teacher in that classroom reported asking the student if they were a bus rider or attended Pryme Tyme and the student replied that they attended Pryme Tyme. The child was escorted to the afterschool program with other students in the class.”

In response to that, Jordan says why would they trust what a five-year-old says and Jordan says she no longer feels confident in sending her daughter to school and is currently keeping her home while she figures out what to do.

“I would never wish two and a half hours for a parent to not know where their child was. It only takes two seconds for a parent to be in a panic of not knowing where their child is. We send our children to school every day. They’re responsible for the safety of our children. And with everything that’s going on in the world today, we have to feel like our children are safe. And for two and a half hours, I didn’t feel like I would ever see my kid again.”

The school district says the student was never left unattended or unsupervised.

Their statement goes on to say quote, “We take the safety of all students very seriously and continue to work closely with our students, staff and families to ensure all have a full understanding of school procedures that account for the whereabouts of our students at all times.”

The full statement is below:

New Hampstead K8 staff were informed shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, that one of their first grade bus riders had not arrived home when the bus dropped students off in the neighborhood. The child did not board the bus at dismissal and inadvertently remained in the classroom with students who attend the YMCA after-school care program that is housed at the school. The teacher in that classroom reported asking the student if they were a bus rider or attended Pryme Tyme and the student replied that they attended Pryme Tyme. The child was escorted to the afterschool program with other students in the class.
The school maintains procedures and protocols to ensure all students are accounted for at dismissal to include unique identifiers that help staff understand who is a bus rider, walker, car rider or afterschool participant. School administration is reviewing these procedures thoroughly with staff and students to ensure all movements are accounted for with every child. In this situation, the student was never left unattended or unsupervised; however, we realize the parent’s concern and apologize for this misunderstanding. We take the safety of all students very seriously and continue to work closely with our students, staff and families to ensure all have a full understanding of school procedures that account for the whereabouts of our students at all times.
SCCPSS

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