Lack of bus policy angers parent

Lorie Howie arrived at her daughter's bus stop just in time to see the school bus drive away - for once the driver arriving earlier rather than later.
But also unfamiliar to Howie - her daughter was nowhere to be seen.
Trying to stay calm, she drove after the bus, believing her daughter had stayed on as she instructed her to do if she doesn't see her mother outside waiting.
After losing and then finding the bus between stops, Howie doubted herself and wondered whether her child was actually dropped off at the stop - in an area close to a pond, grass field and not much else other than the road. Unsure on the whereabouts of her child, she worried about the possibilities.
"It was really a frightening experience, probably the worst 10 minutes of my life," Howie said. "A few weeks ago, we heard of a girl being abducted on her way to school - and when things like this happen you start to fear the worst."
Fortunately, her daughter was safe back at the stop. However, Howie still wanted to know why her daughter was allowed - or told to depending on the story - to leave the bus? She said her daughter's stop could be a dangerous location because it's out in the open away from houses and close to the road.
"If the bus arrives too early before I get there and lets my daughter off the bus and something happens, whose fault is it?" Howie said. "I would think the district would have some kind of rules in place to protect the children and themselves in case something happens."
Linda Smith, director of transportation for the Hernando County School District, said there isn't a written policy that covers every situation regarding when a child will be kept on the bus or let off at their stop. According to the school district's Web site, "Parents are responsible for their children's safety and well-being on the way to and from the bus stops and while at the bus stops."
She said the current policy given on the bus registration form is that children pre-kindergarten through second grade are taken back to the school if a parent isn't present, unless they're accompanied by an older sibling who has written permission from their parents to get off the bus together.
For older students however, Smith said the situation depends on parents' preference. Some she said prefer their child is let off the bus to walk home. Others, like Howie, prefer to be there when their child exits the bus, no matter what grade they're in.
Although it's not a written policy, Smith said she tells her drivers that if a parent is not present at a stop when they historically have been, the driver should wait and radio in rather than let the student off the bus.
"Unfortunately, in Mrs. Howie's case her child had a substitute bus driver," Smith said.
She added she is trying to resolve the situation to ensure Howie has no further trouble with either bus time arrivals or her daughter being let off the bus by herself.
However, Howie said she would like to see a possible policy in place to list procedures that would keep children safe and outline what bus drivers will do in given situations. She added she called the school district and was directed to the transportation department. Although she has made her feelings known about the bus arrival times being sometimes almost 30 minutes late or 15 minutes early depending on the driver, Howie isn't sure the situation will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, Smith said it is helpful if parents provide written instructions what they would like drivers to do for their child in situations such as Howie's as well as others. She said that information would be put in a file that also contains the bus route so that regular drivers and substitutes would have access to it.
"It would just be very helpful to us," Smith said. "Sometimes substitute drivers are at the mercy of the kids regarding what their drop-off situations are - and this would be something that would be put in the driver's packet."
For more information about bus driving procedures, go to the Hernando County School District site at hernandoschools.org.