HAINES CITY, Fla. — A Polk County mother contacted ABC Action News after her son was left at the school bus stop to fend for himself. She said she is now afraid to even send her son to school.
Megan Sepulveda is beyond upset that her son Lukas, was left stranded at his bus stop.
“I contacted police because I wanted to press charges against the bus driver,” said Sepulveda.
Lukas, who has autism, attends Horizons Elementary. Tuesday was his first day riding the school bus, which is for students with special needs.
Lukas' mom said the bus driver dropped him off 30 minutes early and left him, even though there was not a parent there to pick him up.
“Let him get off this bus with no adult present and let him walk off into a neighborhood, cross a 35-mph road alone, and go off into a neighborhood alone and didn’t stop to think something might be wrong here,” Sepulveda said.
The bus stop is 1.4 miles away from their home. Lukas was left wandering the long, winding road calling for help.
“I was calling for her like three times and nothing. I was also calling for dad and my sister,” Lukas said.
Someone eventually found the child. “She said my daughter has your son. He’s been walking around the neighborhood for about the past half hour, yelling for help, looking for his mom. I said what do you mean? His bus isn’t supposed to be here yet,” said Sepulveda.
Sepulveda said no letter was sent home nor was the app updated, to notify parents that the bus time changed. She said even before this incident she was worried about her son’s safety.
“There are no crosswalks. There's one stop sign across the street, not for us. There are no lights, no crossing guard, there’s nothing,” Sepulveda said.
She has been pushing to get Lukas door-to-door service since before school started.
“Three weeks now, I've been saying we need this door-to-door accommodation. I was told it takes time. I was told he’s not severe enough,” Sepulveda said.
In statement, a spokesperson for Polk County Public Schools tells ABC Action News:
“Yesterday there was an elementary student dropped off earlier than scheduled at their bus stop. Parents of ESE students can fill out a form that tells us whether their child can be dropped off at their bus stop with or without a parent present. We are reviewing the circumstances of this incident to determine if our procedures were followed. We’re also working with the bus driver, and the child’s parent, to ensure there are no further issues.”
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