MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was a rocky start to the new school year for a 7-year-old girl. Melissa Fuqua said her daughter was put on a school bus even though she was not supposed to be.
Fuqua explained to FOX13 she was told by bus staff that she would have to pick her daughter up from Levi Elementary the remainder of this week because her bus route wouldn’t start until next week.
When she sent the child’s grandmother to pick her up Wednesday, the 2nd grader was already gone because she was put on a bus.
“Afraid,” Fuqua said as she explained how she felt that day. “To think that your child is gone, that’s scary.”
Fuqua said she wants to know why her daughter was mistakenly placed on the school bus to begin with.
“What bus has she been put on if it doesn’t start until the 14th?”
The concerned and startled parent said she was told her daughter would be classified as what the district calls a “car rider” for the remainder of the week.
In an email she showed FOX13, sent from Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS), the correspondence appeared to confirm in bold, red lettering that August 14 was the start date for the child’s bus route.
“It just makes me fear sending my child back there to be put on the bus. Everybody is walking around like, ‘oh well, she got put on the bus; the bus came back, so she’s okay.’”
We reached out to MSCS about the mix-up. The district released the following statement to FOX13:
“At dismissal on Wednesday, a student from Levi Elementary was placed on her assigned bus before the route was scheduled to begin. At no point was the child in harm’s way, and she was quickly reunited with her parent. However, we will review the incident to determine why she was prematurely put on the route. Student safety is our top priority, and we will take measures to ensure this incident is not repeated.”
Meanwhile, Fuqua contended that her daughter should not have been put on the bus this week, regardless of circumstances. “Why didn’t you make sure that you communicated to your staff that if they’re getting on this bus it doesn’t start until the 14th? Let’s call these parents and let them know that,” she said. “If I got this phone call before the bus pulled off, why was my child not taken off the bus? What if they weren’t able to track down the bus, then what?”
Fuqua told our team she would not be sending her daughter back to Levi Elementary. She said the transfer process has already been completed.
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