ALIEF, Texas – A Kindergarten student at Alief ISD was dropped off at the wrong bus stop on Tuesday, according to the family.
“I don’t know. We are traumatized by what happened to us yesterday,” Muhammad Irshad said.
Irshad said he waited for his daughter Hareem Fatima around 3:30 p.m. outside their apartment complex on South Kirkwood, but says the bus never showed up so he called the district’s transportation department.
“They contacted the driver and the driver said they are running a little bit late, and I was still waiting,” he said.
Irshad said he got a call from a stranger who recognized an orange and red tag with little Hareem’s personal information on it.
“She said they dropped your kid over here,” Irshad said.
The little girl was at the Idlewood apartment complex on West Belfort. Irshad said he took off running and feared the worst.
“Especially in Texas, where we receive the Amber Alerts about kids being kidnapped every week,” he said.
Hareem is a Kindergarten student at Cummings Elementary School. She said she told the driver it wasn’t her stop.
“He said, ‘Go, go, go.’ He wouldn’t listen to me,” the little girl said.
Irshad said an incident like this should not happen.
“The parents have to hold this tag outside and the driver has to confirm her name and then they can release her from the bus,” Irshad said.
Alief ISD released the following statement in regards to the incident:
“The safety and security of our students is our top priority. After a thorough investigation, district officials have determined that the bus driver did not follow proper transportation protocol for our youngest student riders. As a result, the driver will no longer drive transportation routes in Alief ISD. In addition, all policies and procedures governing kindergarten release will be reviewed with all drivers to ensure our youngest riders arrive home safely.”