Fort Worth ISD student, 8, dropped off far from home; district blames bus driver shortage

Fort Worth ISD student, 8, dropped off far from home; district blames bus driver shortage

An 8-year-old Fort Worth ISD student, who deals with developmental issues, is recovering from a frightening experience after he was dropped off a quarter-mile from home by a substitute driver. The district says a shortage of drivers is to blame for the incident.

FORT WORTH, Texas - A young Fort Worth ISD student is getting past a frightening ordeal involving an incident stemming from ongoing school bus issues.

Fort Worth school bus mix-up

What happened:

David is used to being dropped off within eyesight of the home where he and his grandmother, Amparo Wynn, live. On Tuesday, the 8-year-old, who deals with developmental issues, was dropped off much further than usual in an apparent mix-up with a substitute driver.

Oak Grove, where Wynn's home is located, is a busy thoroughfare. Wynn says David expressed concerns about getting off at the wrong stop just before the incident, asking the driver about getting him home.

Unfortunately, David's fears were not unfounded. The young boy was dropped off a quarter-mile from home, and had to find his way back to his family in busy Oak Grove.

What they're saying:

Wynn says the bus driver did not heed David's concerns, appearing to have intentionally neglected to take him all the way to his usual stop.

"She said, ‘no,’ that she doesn’t do that, she doesn’t take kids home. He asked twice," Wynn said.

Wynn is grateful David made it home safely, saying: "He got here by the grace of God."

Wynn is concerned about David's future bus travel, demanding accountability from the driver to ensure that something of this nature won't be allowed to happen again.

"I don’t want to have to be concerned about going to work, wondering if my kid is going to be on the bus, left in the right spot," said Wynn. "I don’t want any parent to have to worry about that."

The other side:

A statement from the school district says, in part:

"The safety of our students is our top priority, and we are taking both immediate and long-term measures to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future."

The district’s new chief of transportation, Nathan Graf, shared images from a meeting they held to address the issue.

"These are our bus drivers and dispatchers getting together to look at all of our routes and see how they can be more efficient."

How can Fort Worth ISD prevent more bus confusion?

What's next:

The school district says the root cause of the problem is a current shortage of drivers.

A recent Fort Worth ISD transportation workshop underscored the issue. Graf told administrators one short-term goal is to remedy the shortage. 

Graf says the district needs to hire at least 30 before the next school year begins. The district says they have spoken with recruiters in an attempt to begin filling the gaps.

In the long term, enhancements to the system have been planned. These include new technology that allows students to use a badge when boarding and exiting the bus, which could help prevent incidents like David's from happening again.