Charlotte County students left stranded at school after being suddenly taken off bus route

Two kids were left at school not knowing what they should do to get home.

The middle schoolers weren’t allowed to take the bus home, but they live two miles away.

The kids were very eager to get to the school, see their teacher and their friends,” said the children’s mother, Allison Harris.

It was an exciting first day of school for Harris’ kids. Alaina and Audrina go to Port Charlotte Middle, but at the end of the day, they found themselves stranded at school.

“They were in a panic because they didn’t have a bus at all and they were told they couldn’t ride the bus, that they would have to walk home,” Harris said.

They haven’t moved — still two miles from Port Charlotte Middle where the girls went last year. Harris wants to find out why they were taken off their bus route and added to the “walk” list with no notice.

“In the evenings, they would typically be coming around the corner this way and entering our driveway,” Harris explained.

The district only provides buses for students who live more than two miles from their school.

We asked a district spokesman why there was a sudden change for Harris’ kids. He’s still working to get an answer from the transportation department.

Harris says it will be an adjustment for her kids’ new commute and wants the district to take a second look at this sudden change and safety for everyone.

“They are all sidewalk, however, there’s two waterways they will have to pass. There’s also, there’s no crossguard,” she said. “I can’t stress enough how important it is that we have safety for our children

Parents in Charlotte County can click here to search their address to see if their student is on the walk list or eligible for bus transportation.