You think You've had a Bad Day?
Imagine you're 5; it's your second day of school. Hurriedly, in the tide of humanity that is school dismissal, you attempt to make your way to your bus. Be careful, there is more than one bus. Your teacher points you in the direction of your bus, but has other children to look after and can't be late for his/her duty station. (S)He has put you in line, figures the hard part is passed and assumes you'll make it from there. You're in line, but your shoe has become untied. The act of stopping to fix it is enough of a distraction to take you out of line and divert you from the correct bus. You're 5, so one bus is just as good as the next, so you board the closest one at that point. Sadly, it is not the correct bus.

Dear Reader, this is not fiction - This scenario really played out. Surely, the bus driver will help you!?! To your dismay, at the final stop, you are the last child on the bus. Was this your stop? Is this where mom said she'd pick me up? It's really only my second day of school. I really can't remember. Standing at the doorway, still on the bus, but about to step out - What do you do?

"Hey, kid! This is the last stop. You getting off here?" asks the bus driver. The driver can't really know what you're thinking. If I take this kid back to the school and the parents are waiting at home, I'm boned for not insisting the kid get off the bus and go home. If this kid isn't even on the right bus, I'm boned for stranding this kid in the middle of nowhere. "Is this your stop or not?"

"I guess so," you reply. Off you go and as the diesel fumes dissipate. Later as your brain clears, you realize this isn't your stop. You are a 5 year old girl, alone, and miles away from home.

Luckily, a good Samaritan gets you to the police before anything else can happen to you. Hours later, you're reunited with your parents. This story (based on true events) ends happily - this time.

The Blade's Take: District policy must be - Always take confused kids back to school. Any returned kids will be returned through the police. Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience, but better that than have kids stranded and subjected to the dangers of being completely alone and unsupervised. I will always err on the side of safety. I apologize for the inconvenience for having to go to Police station, but better that than the Coroner's office.