School bus leaves small child behind

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) -- A school bus mix-up left a 6-year-old Woonsocket boy waiting alone for more than an hour in his neighborhood, and his mother is less than happy with the bus company.

Imagine getting a phone call telling you that your child isn't where he is supposed to be after school. One local mother says it happened to her, and called 12 For Action to make sure it never happens again.

Monday morning started out like any other school day for 6-year-old Evan Mendes and his mother Laura. His lunch was made, his backpack was on and he was out the door to catch the bus to Leo Savoie Elementary School.

"He is the most precious thing I have," said Mendes. "His safety is my priority."

But according to Evan's mom, his afternoon didn't end so well. She tells us that on Mondays Evan is supposed to take a different bus to the YMCA after-school program. Instead, he was put on the bus that takes him home.

The school's principal, Donna Coderre, said that as soon as she realized the mix-up, she personally asked the bus driver to drop Evan off at the YMCA. The school tells us that the driver forgot.

Laura says that Evan walked home, and once he realized that nobody was there, he sat on the curb and waited.

"Thankfully, the director of the YMCA went out to look for my son, and found my son alone on the side of the road crying," Laura added.

Call 12 For Action contacted the bus company, though no one would provide us with information, so we were referred to the superintendent. She tells us that they are taking the matter very seriously and are working with Durham to investigate what exactly happened.

"We want to make sure Durham understands action must be taken on the part of the bus company," she said. "As far as the school department is concerned, we have done our due diligence."

Laura called the bus company for an apology, but instead got something much different.

"I explained the situation to him and at that point, he says he was going to write my son up for getting off the bus," she said.

The superintendent tells us that the bus driver did go back to Evan's neighborhood after realizing her mistake, but didn't see him, and drove off after waiting for 20 minutes.

Principal Coderre issued the following statement in regards to the incident:

"Teachers, staff, and students all attempt to be very diligent when it comes to busing and safety. The day in question was no different. A student was put on a bus that he normally takes home when the parent called and asked that he be placed on the daycare bus. I went out to remove him from one bus and the daycare bus had already left.. The bus driver informed me that she would drop him off at the YWCA. I was assured that he would safely arrive there. The next morning, I found out he was dropped off where he lives and not at the daycare. This is a perfect example of why we must all be responsible for the safety of our students including parents, teachers, daycare, and the bus company. Students at Savoie wear a bus tag for the first few weeks of school so we are positive they are getting on the appropriate bus and until they are familiar with the routine of exiting for dismissal. In the gymnasium, the bus numbers are on the wall and students sit in their bus lines until called. We also keep bus lists available to ensure everyone is accounted for. Of course we never want to make a mistake and we take every precaution possible not to. Although we believe this was not a school department mistake, we are all accountable for the students and will continue to monitor ways to improve."