FREWSBURG – A mother from the Frewsburg area has recently been very overwhelmed, after she alleged that a school bus dropped her daughter off, in nine degree weather, while nobody was home.

The mother noted that the child was not even supposed to go home that day, instead scheduled to attend an after school program. School officials made note of the mistake, and began to implement further safety protocols to ensure that a similar occurrence will not happen again.

The incident occurred on Monday, Dec. 8. The mother stated that the student is scheduled to attend the school’s after school program every Monday and Tuesday, with the bus taking her home on the remaining day of the week. However, on that particular Monday the mother said multiple mistakes on behalf of the school put her daughter in danger. The after school bus typically takes the students to The Relief Zone, with a special list to be read for attendance on the bus before departure. The mother stated that a substitute teacher in the classroom mistakenly put her daughter onto the bus headed home.

The mother also attributes the bus driver being a substitute to part of the cause of this problem.

“TRZ called the school looking for her. They called me and said ‘hey, we just want to make sure you have (your daughter)’. I said no (she) goes to TRZ today,” the mother told The Post-Journal. “And they radioed the bus driver, and he told them that he just dropped her off.”

Nobody was home when the child arrived at the house, according to the mother. Additionally, the mother claims that the house sits back roughly a quarter-mile from the road, making any visual sight on the house from the road challenging. Fortunately, the mother’s in-laws lived in close proximity to the family, and were able to go find the child outside of the home.

Interim Superintendent Lynda Quick commented on the matter, and expressed extreme upset due to the incident. Quick also stated that the school has been working with the affected family to make things right in any way possible. Additional safety practices are being implemented at the school to ensure that this event does not reoccur, according to Quick.

“The recent incident involving a Frewsburg Central School District bus drop off is not acceptable and does not reflect Frewsburg’s commitment to its students and parents. We have spoken with the family numerous times and are determined to make things right,” said Quick. “We are implementing both immediate and long-term measures to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future. These measures include working with our building and transportation staff to strengthen training and bus procedures.”

John Spacht, shared transportation supervisor for Frewsburg, Southwestern and Jamestown Public Schools, was unable to comment on the matter, yet has been in contact with the mother about the incident. The mother stated that Spacht informed her that, while not law, the district has a procedure stating that no child in third grade, or below, is to be let off the bus without visual confirmation of an adult. The mother also produced a list of corrective actions that she was told would be taking place in the email from Spacht. These listed corrective actions correspond with measures referenced by Quick and include reinforcing dismissal procedures and ensuring all notes are thoroughly read, addressing the issue directly with the substitute teacher, retraining all transportation personnel on drop-off protocols, and personal meetings between Spacht and every driver, including substitutes.

“Nothing is more important to us than our students’ safety, and we will work diligently to ensure a safe and secure experience for all students, including their time on a bus to and from school,” said Quick.