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Mother upset after 5-year-old son gets off Hernando school bus at wrong stop

 
Published Aug. 23, 2014

BROOKSVILLE — The bus filled with Brooksville Elementary School students had arrived at a stop Wednesday afternoon and was letting students out when the driver heard a disturbance.

The driver turned his attention to the incident on the bus.

That's when Michael Whitehouse, a 5-year-old kindergartner, managed to slip off the bus unnoticed at the wrong stop, with no parent or guardian there to pick him up.

It wasn't until four stops later, at Michael's designated stop, that his aunt realized he wasn't on the bus. He didn't turn up until about 4 p.m. — 50 minutes after school was dismissed — when the relative of a classmate dropped him off at home.

Danielle Whitehouse, Michael's mother, was beside herself.

"I was just freaking out," she said, noting that she was at work at the time. "The fact that I could not find him and the people responsible for him didn't even know he was missing just terrified me."

Whitehouse demanded answers from the Hernando County School District.

Doug Compton, director of transportation, said he reviewed video of the incident and said the driver, who is new, followed policies and procedures up until the disturbance. At that point, the driver should have stopped the unloading process and not let any students off the bus while he addressed the issue.

Procedures state that all students in kindergarten through second grade must have a parent or guardian present to be allowed to exit the bus.

Compton said the driver has met with the district's safety and training specialist to go over proper procedures.

He said the district will randomly monitor the driver to ensure all procedures are being followed. The district has also reminded drivers what to do in similar situations, Compton said.

He acknowledged that "human error was definitely involved" in the incident. He also said he understands the parent's fears.

"You know, one (error) is one too many," he said.

Whitehouse said she wasn't satisfied with the district's response. She thought a suspension of the driver might be better, given the severity of the incident.

She said Michael will continue to be allowed to take the bus to school because he can't get off at a bus stop. He won't be allowed to take the bus home anymore.

She also said she feels better procedures are needed.

"I just don't want this to happen to any other child," she said. "It could have ended up a whole lot worse than it did."