CLEWISTON — A 4-year-old Hendry County student was dropped off at the wrong bus stop on Monday, leaving her about a 20-minute walk from her usual stop.
Aria McKenzie was supposed to be dropped off at 12th Street and Florida Avenue in Clewiston but was instead left at 9th and Alabama Street, according to her mother, Elexis Holligan.
Watch Fox 4's Allie Kaiser speak with the mother and school district about the young girl being dropped off at the wrong bus stop:
"I'm waiting on my baby to get home from school, like she does at the same time every day," Holligan said.
While waiting for her daughter, Holligan received a phone call from a neighbor a few blocks away. They told her Aria had been found by another student riding a bus.
"She was saying that I was left in the streets. It broke me down," Holligan said.
Curtis Clay, director of school safety and security for the Hendry County School District, stated that the incident occurred because the bus driver failed to follow proper procedures.
"A driver made some poor decisions and did not follow our procedures," Clay said.
The district has safety measures in place to prevent these situations. Students carry cards on their backpacks that list their drop-off location and include a barcode that drivers scan when students get on and off the bus.
Clay said the district is disciplining the bus driver, but could not specify the punishment. The district is also conducting retraining with every bus driver.
"We are also doing re-training and remedial training with every driver in the district to make sure they understand why these procedures are in place," Clay said.
Despite the district's response, Holligan remains hesitant about allowing her daughter to ride the bus again.
"I'm not going to let her ride the bus. If she don't want to ride the bus, she don't have to ride the bus," Holligan said.
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