Parents demand answers after 6-year-old left alone at wrong bus stop in Northeast Philly
PHILADELPHIA - A first day at school turned terrifying for one family when their little girl was left all alone at a bus stop—and not even her own stop, but one nearly two miles away.
FOX 29's Greg Payne spoke to the child's parents who want answers about how this could even happen.
"She was really excited to be able to go on the bus, she was excited to see her friends at school, it was an exciting morning," said Heather Paul, mother of 6-year-old London, who was coming home from her first day at Anne Frank School in Northeast Philly.
"I was at work my husband was picking her up at the bus stop, the bus was late, he text me that she wasn’t on the bus, he was calling my phone and I looked down and saw that it said she’s not here," Heather described the onset of panic when she learned London wasn't where she was supposed to be.
"They said that she wasn’t there either and I said where is she? where is my daughter? My daughter is 6 years old. How do you not know where she is," she recalled upon calling the school in a frantic state.
Heather contacted the police and headed to the school, only to be temporarily relieved and then disappointed again.
"When I initially walked in, they said don’t worry we found her, we got her so I was like okay she’s okay, I started texting everybody and it came over the police radio it was a boy, and then I heard them say that was the other missing child," said the mom.
Taking to social media and the streets, Heather scoured the area for her daughter.
"I’m screaming London, London. I’ve never been so scared before and I’ve never felt that pain before to think, that something could be happening to my daughter, I was thinking the worst."
After nearly two hours, Heather received word that her child was found by a couple.
"They bring her home, she’s red, she’s sweating, she’s been walking around in the heat for almost two hours, she’s a little girl, she’s terrified," Heather said.
It was determined by the school that London, a first-time bus rider, got off the bus along Bustleton Avenue, a busy roadway nearly two miles away from her actual bus stop on Dungan and Conwell.
"She was upset, she said when she got off the bus she realized that she was not in the right spot, so she followed another child and this child’s father across the street," said Heather.
The school sent an email to parents alerting them that they were looking for a student who likely got off at the wrong stop, but Heather believes more could have been done.
"My husband walked in there with the police. They seemed surprised that the cops were there. I wouldn’t know why they didn’t call the cops. You have a missing child from your school, a first grader. Why didn’t you call the police?" asked the mom.
Tuesday afternoon, the hug was extra tight as Heather picked London up from school, something she plans to do for now on.
The School District of Philadelphia sent FOX 29 the following statement regarding the incident:
"We are aware of an incident regarding a student who departed their yellow school bus with another student earlier than their assigned stop yesterday. Once the school learned about the situation, administration worked promptly with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) to reunite the parents and student within 30 minutes. Following the incident, we have requested that bus operators verify each student’s bus tag, especially younger students who are riding the bus for the first time."