Red Oak ISD Mother Says Daughter Mistakenly Put on Bus and Dropped Off Alone

A Red Oak ISD mother said she's upset after her first grader, who is not supposed to ride the bus, ended up on one and was dropped off in a neighborhood by herself.

Jacqueline Burns said it was a stranger who notified her that her daughter was crying in the middle of the street, several blocks away from their home.

"Oh my goodness, it's so emotional, like the 'what ifs.' Like how could a bus driver just put a 5-year-old on the street? They've never seen my child. My child is not a bus rider. She has a car tag on her book bag," explained Burns.

The mother of three said they just moved to the area a month ago and this is their first time in the district.

Burns said she was in the pickup line at Shields Elementary School waiting for her daughter at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday when she received a call from an unknown number.

"I get a call around 3:20 p.m. from a stranger in my neighborhood saying that she has my daughter. She found my daughter crying in the middle of the street and she found my contact information that I put in my daughter's book bag and she gave me a call," explained Burns.

She went to the address the woman provided, which happened to bAnd e several blocks from their home along the same street and picked up her daughter.

"Oh my goodness, she got a thousand kisses and it even broke me because she was still crying, so it broke my heart, but I was so happy to have her in my arms because that is just a feeling I wish on no parent," expressed Burns.

Laketria Mathis, who is a mother as well and has a 5-year-old who had just gotten off the bus, is the one who found Jacqueline's daughter.

“My baby had just gotten off the bus and I was putting him in the tub, part of our routine and I just heard her outside, she was just crying away. She was hysterical because she didn’t know where she was. She was like, ‘The bus driver dropped me off in the wrong neighborhood,'" explained Mathis.

She said they have a long front entrance and didn't see the little girl initially until she heard the crying.

"I was like, ‘You’re in the wrong neighborhood? Do you have a phone?’ She was like, ‘No,'" explained Mathis. "I was like, ‘What's your name?’ She told me her name and I was like, 'Can I see your bag?' She gave me her bag and her information was in there. Immediately I saw her mom’s information. I called her mom and she said she was at the school waiting for her and I was like, ‘Nope, she’s right here,' and she was upset."

Burns gave Mathis a big hug and a thank you on Wednesday for taking the time to help her daughter.

"What goes through my mind is that the lady who took the time out to make it her business to check on my child. I’m forever in her grace. I give nothing but glory to God because I’m so thankful that someone with ill intention did not stop and pick up my child," said Burns.

The mother of three said she immediately called the school and spoke with administrators after she was reunited with her daughter.

"I had a meeting with them this morning and they’re still investigating and everything. They took full responsibility and everything. They said, 'Nothing like that happens,'" said Burns. “I'm glad they’re taking responsibility, but it’s like I'm not accepting an 'I’m sorry,' type of deal, because if one little thing happened that could have been my child’s life. So I want someone to be held accountable for their actions. Like, no, that’s nothing to play with when it comes down to my child’s life."

"I definitely feel like someone has to be held accountable for a mistake that has taken place. But on the other end, I know the school has a phenomenal education system," said Mathis.

In an email, a spokesperson for Red Oak ISD said they can't release any information related to the family due to privacy laws, but said they do have policies and procedures in place for student transportation.

"Red Oak ISD is investigating the situation, and will continue to refine its policies and procedures to reflect the district’s commitment to do all it can to help students reach their fullest potential," said the district in an email.

Burns said her daughter stayed home on Wednesday.

“She’s on a mental roller coaster. She took a mental day today. She did not want to go to school at all and it was traumatizing for her. One minute she’s OK, one minute she’s having outbursts," said Burns, who also noted that counselors from the district had reached out to them.

Mathis, who has a son who is non-verbal, said she too will now place contact information in her kid's backpacks.

“After that happened, I actually put all my information on his stuff because I'm afraid that might happen. That was a big thing that I took from that situation, that my information is in there so they can contact me," she said.