Mom says Waxahachie ISD driver dropped off wrong kid in bus confusion

WAXAHACHIE, Texas - A Waxahachie mother is demanding changes after her 7-year old son was dropped off at the wrong bus stop a mile away from his home. The little boy was missing for almost an hour.

The mom says she made several phone calls to track her son down when his bus never showed up to the stop. The bus driver ended up returning the wrong child to her.

Shon Johnson says her family just moved a few weeks ago for the school district, so her son doesn’t know his way around yet. She usually has a relative or herself waiting for him at the bus stop. But when his bus didn’t show up, it set off nearly an hour long search for the boy.

7-year old Jordan Johnson usually walks with someone to and from the bus stop. He finished his second day of first grade at Marvin Elementary on Thursday when his bus never stopped at his neighborhood.

“My home was over there, so I was a little bit afraid,” the boy said.

Shon had Jordan’s uncle waiting for him at the stop, so she was called when the bus didn’t show.

“At this point, I’m frantic,” she said. “I’ve already dropped my work and left.”

Shon says after more than a dozen phone calls trying to track her son down, the bus driver was notified to bring her son to the correct stop. But when the bus finally pulled up, she says the driver brought the wrong child.

“They’re not interchangeable pieces, lady. They’re children!” Shon said. “He’s cute, but I want my kid.”

Shon says that child’s mother had been following the bus trying to figure out why it didn’t drop that child off. Shon checked the empty bus for her son, be he wasn’t on there. She then called police.

“All the scenarios go through,” she said. “Does somebody have him? Are they gonna give him back?  What if nobody has him?”

Shon says then she learned Jordan was dropped off at another stop about a mile away.

Jordan said he had no idea where he was at. He followed other kids to their home, where an adult called 911. Then, Jordan and his mom were reunited.

Waxahachie ISD is not confirming or denying Shon’s version of events but says they're investigating.

In a statement, the district says “we will be reviewing our transportation practices and policies to determine how we can improve. We understand that parents need to know that their children are safe from the time they enter our care to the time they arrive home.”

Waxahachie PD says they were also notified of another missing child Thursday afternoon who fell asleep on the bus and was found when the bus driver was doing a final check at the end of the route. That child was reunited with parents at the bus depot.

“I don’t wanna stay in a place of fear and anger,” Shon said. “I just want something done so that this doesn’t happen again.”

The bus driver is still employed while the district investigates.

Johnson says both the principal and the superintendent have called her to apologize and told her they’d be working on a safer system so bus drivers know which kids are supposed to get off at certain stops.