Lehigh Acres kindergarten student placed on wrong bus

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. Jennifer Cohen is worried about her 5-year-old’s safety after he was forced to walk home alone.

The mix-up happened Monday afternoon after the child was released from Manatee Elementary School on 5301 Tice Street, Cohen said. The child was placed on the wrong bus and was taken to his bus stop at 28th Street Southwest and Sunshine Boulevard.

“He told me that he ran home the whole way and he wanted to lock the door behind him, which tells me he was afraid,” Cohen said.

The child was on his second day of school and was told he would be dropped off at daycare, Cohen said.

“He could’ve been lost or someone could’ve picked him up, anything could’ve happened,” Cohen said.

The school apologized for the confusion and corrected the after school drop off locations with the bus depot, Cohen said.

“It’s scary for me to think that you know, I think that they’re gonna be safe after school and then I get a call that they’re not where they’re supposed to be,” Cohen said.

Cohen hopes other parents never have to go through this situation.

“Make sure if you have to change your bus stop, make sure they follow through on their end and they got a hold of the right people to make sure your kids are not dropped off in the wrong place,” she said.

If a student is in pre-kindergarten, they must be met by a parent or designee at the bus stop, the Lee County School District said. If a student is in kindergarten or first grade, a parent must sign a form saying they don’t want their child to be dropped off, if no one is at the bus stop waiting for them.