There are a lot of things parents get anxious about when sending their kids to their first day of kindergarten: will they be okay being away from home, will they have fun, will they make friends. Even the most anxious of parents generally assume their kids will be safe, however. There are a lot of vetted adults educated in childhood development in charge, and moms and dads try to hope that’s enough. In the case of a mom outside St. Louis, it very nearly wasn’t.
Twitter user @happycloudbooks, or Coley, shared the terrifying story of her 5-year-old daughter’s first school day, which came frighteningly close to tragedy. Coley is sharing the story to warn parents of the dangers facing kids on the bus.
My daughter’s bus driver nearly killed her on the first day of kindergarten so here’s a PSA for all parents of young bus riders.
This happened today.
{thread/story}
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
She writes that her daughter is developmentally disabled, and didn’t not exit the bus when it arrived at the school. The driver did not check the bus seats before leaving the bus, and the girl was stuck in the vehicle for three hours in the sun. Cars and buses can quickly get so hot inside that temperatures turn lethal.
The bus driver DID NOT check whatsoever when he pulled in. He just got off. She tried to get his attention but failed. She knows to stay in her seat so that’s where she stayed. FOR 3 FUCKING HOURS. ALONE. IN THE SUN.
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
Coley writes that she’d been worried about so many things parents generally do, but never considered her daughter’s life would be in danger. What’s worse is that it took ages for the school to notify her that her daughter was unaccounted for during role call:
I take her school paperwork in at 9. They don’t say she’s absent. I figure everything is fine. They’d call if something were wrong, right?
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
I PUT HER ON THE BUS AT 7:30 WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S ABSENT?!
They reassure me she’s likely in class, several busses were late this morning after attendance was taken. They’re going to go check. They’ll call me right back.
I expect a call in 5 to 10 minutes.— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
The school finally contacted her hours later to check where the kindergartener is, and when Coley was naturally freaked out, they reassure her that they will check for her. She ended up waiting another 40 minutes before she gets a call explaining what’s happened:
I beat them there. I watch my child walk into the school red, dripping wet, and cradling a water bottle. I almost cry. My baby appears okay. She says she has a stomachache but is okay.
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
Bus drivers are obligated to check seats before they exit the bus, but Coley’s daughter was the only K-1st grade student, and the driver skipped this part of their job. The kid didn’t know what she was supposed to do!
The bus drivers are supposed to do a seat check before leaving. He didnt. My daughter didn’t know when to get off. No other k-1st graders (kids at her school) on this bus. This should never have happened.
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
That driver’s ass got fired:
Bus driver is fired (obviously). They put steps in place to make sure my kid can ride the bus safely. The nurse tells me that, shockingly, my child is just FINE. I let her stay the rest of the day.
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
And Coley’s daughter was okay, but it was a scary experience for them both:
I ask her about her day when she gets home and she tells me about the bus. My heart breaks when she tells me that the only time she got scared was when she got cold. She wanted me. She cried for me. I hold her extra tight tonight.
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
If you only retweet one thing, retweet this….
— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
The overall message is just for the bus drivers out there: Check. The. Seats!
So tonight I play with my girl. I remind her that if, by some miniscule chance you get left on the bus, to honk that horn until someone comes. And in the morning we figure out a new plan for school.
She’s okay. Somehow, she’s absolutely fine. Thank you, Lord!— Coley (@happycloudbooks) August 29, 2018
Several people have asked what the girl’s developmental disability is, and if it was irresponsible to put her on the bus in the first place. Coley has explained that her issue is physical, but mentally she is at the same developmental level as other kids her age. This is a situation that could happen to anyone, but especially kids new to the school system. Sorry to add more first school day anxieties, but this one is worth looking out for.