INDIANAPOLIS — A Perry Township mother is sharing her frustration with the school district, saying her son's bus driver keeps missing his stop.
Chelsie Schacht said her 7-year-old son, Kayden, stands in the same place every day for his bus to Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. But several times, his bus driver has blown right past him.
In the incident this week, Kayden ran after the bus, which came to a stop and let him get on. Kayden's mother believed this was unsafe.
"This was a wake-up call for me to not just let it go with this school district," Schacht said. "I'm extremely worried for my son's safety. This is a very busy street. We live right off a very busy road. There's no way he's not being put in harm's way when incidents like this are happening."
Schacht said she's reported the bus incidents to her son's school three times. She said she just wants answers and changes in the transportation department.
"She's been driving this route this year alone for almost three months. There's no reason she shouldn't know the route she's driving," Schacht said of the bus driver. "And if she doesn't know the route, there needs to be more training so she's not missing students that are standing in their driveway where they're supposed to be."
The school district sent a statement to 13News, saying they regret that the incident happened and for the concern of Kayden and his mother. They said it was an accident and their bus drivers undergo ongoing training to make sure they meet district and state standards.
The full statement from the school district can be read here:
Perry Township Schools is aware that one of its substitute bus drivers drove past a bus stop where a student was waiting. Upon realizing this, the substitute driver did stop within feet of the student’s actual bus stop and the student boarded the bus safely. The district regrets that this incident happened and any concern it caused the student and his mother. After the incident was reported, a thorough investigation began. The result of the investigation is the substitute bus driver drove past the student’s stop by accident. Staff spoke with the substitute driver to remind her to stop at all stops, even if a child is not visible. At Perry Township Schools, safety continues to be a top priority. Our bus drivers undergo ongoing training and continuing education to ensure that they meet, not just standards set by the state, but even higher standards set by Perry Township Schools.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated the school agreed with Schacht that missing the stop was unsafe. Schacht told 13News she talked to the school district and they said that to her. We edited our story to clarify the attribution for her statement and removed the reference to what the school district allegedly said. A school district spokesperson told 13News the school did not say it was unsafe.