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WTKR News 3
Portsmouth mom upset as 5-year-old autistic daughter was let off at wrong stop
By John Hood,
4 days ago
After our story aired about the frustration parents in Portsmouth have with school buses at the start of the school year, families have continued to reach out to News 3 voicing their concerns.
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"I called her name and I'm standing in the aisle panicking because this is my worst nightmare," Nicole Henry, a Portsmouth mother, said.
Henry said she relies on Portsmouth school buses to bring her daughter home from kindergarten.
She said her daughter is a 5-year-old with autism and on Wednesday she didn't get off at her stop.
John Hood
When Henry got on the bus to see where her daughter was, all she saw was her Hello Kitty backpack.
She said the driver allegedly told Henry the bag belonged to the one she let off at the last stop about a block away.
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"I came looking for my child and saw her and she had to cross the street and thankfully she didn't go the wrong way because Portsmouth Blvd. is pretty busy and there's a lot of strangers around this neighborhood," Henry said. "It's not safe."
Henry said she was frustrated because her daughter was let off the bus without a guardian nearby.
John Hood
It is policy according to the school division where kindergarten students and Pre-K students cannot get off the bus without a parent.
Henry said she had reached out to the transportation team about what happened.
The school division told News 3 that because this is a personnel matter not much could be said but that appropriate action is being taken.
Another parent contacted News 3 and said she kept her kids at home on Thursday due to their bus being overcrowded.
"I'm really aggravated because they should be in school right now," Linda Griffin, a parent said.
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Griffin has two students in middle school in Portsmouth and said when they went to get on the bus there were too many people.
She said her kids were told to get off the bus and another bus would pick them up.
John Hood
"Yeah the bus came at 8:50 am and we were already home because it was taking too long and it was really hot outside," Griffin's son said.
The school division said Thursday morning a third of its buses experienced delays of less than 10 minutes but couldn't confirm what happened on this particular route.
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When it comes to overcrowding the school division said it's rare but when it happens dispatch is immediately notified and another bus is sent out as soon as possible.
If there is an extended wait, families are encouraged to reach out to their child’s school directly, email ask.super@portsk12.com , or contact the Office of Transportation Services Dispatch at 757-393-8269 so staff can take immediate action.
News 3 also confirmed with the school division that under its current phone policy, students can use a cell phone on the bus traveling to and from school.
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