Bus driver leaves child unattended

GUILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- A mother shows up at the bus stop and her kindergartner is nowhere to be found. It was a nightmare for one Guilford mom.

It happened because the bus driver made a big mistake.

It's a rule all bus drivers must follow when they bring kindergartner home from school in Guilford.

"They don't even let my daughter get off the bus unless I'm standing there to get her off the bus," said Antonia Kellner.

However, not all Guilford parents are having the pleasant experience Kellner describes.

The General Manager of Student Transportation of America admits that a driver let a kindergartner off the bus without a parent there.

"We've been working with Board of Education and the police department," said Joe Parise, Student Transportation of America, "and also making sure with our own people that doesn't happen again."

The parent says that the driver's mistake put her six-year-old in a scary situation. The girl walked a half a mile home and no one was there.

Not to mention, the mother was in panic mode.

Kellner says she can't imagine.

"If it was my child I'd of course be upset, let me say that," Kellner said. "There have been times as every parent knows, that you're a couple minutes late, so they call my cell phone."

That didn't happen in this case.

"The driver did not know that was a kindergarten student," said Parise.

Employees at the bus company tell News 8 one of the big problems is a lot of drivers are substitutes, and are not being trained properly. They're called in at the last minute and aren't familiar with the kids on their roster.

"She's a new driver," said Parise. "She was not a substitute."

The parent says the bottom line is there's no room for mistakes when it comes to children.

"The driver was retrained," said Parise. "Um when something like this does happen it sends a feeling throughout your body you can't explain when you leave a child unattended."

Parise tells News 8 there are 10 safety training meetings a year for drivers. There is one Wednesday, partly because of this latest situation.

News 8 also spoke to the Superintendent of Schools who says the company has a solid training program and feels this truly was a mistake.