DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Two DeKalb County mothers expressed concern after their kids were left on the school bus on the first day of school.
Adelaide Moore and Shawna Blackwood said their kids were supposed to ride the bus home from McLendon Elementary on Aug. 13. The parents are furious and want answers.
"I got left on the bus," 5-year-old Giselle Blackwood said.
Blackwood said she's glad she wasn't alone on the school bus. She and her cousin, Joshua, were together. He fell asleep but Giselle was alert the whole time.
"I was scared I might get lost and I might not see my parents again," Blackwood said.
Their parents were just as frightened. They drove the kids to school, but they were to come home on the bus.
"I was very frantic, scared, crying, running around the neighborhood, asking everybody if they had seen my niece and my son," Moore said.
The moms went back to the school. The driver was called and came with a bus full of other students. They found the 5 year olds at the back of the bus.
"It's many things that went wrong that shouldn't have. You didn't have an idea of how many kids entered or exited your bus, that's a huge problem," mom Shawna Blackwood said.
DeKalb County School Spokesperson Jeff Dickerson admitted there's no excuse for what happened. He said the proper procedures were not followed.
"Clearly not. If you check every seat after every route, that won't happen. That didn't happen in this instance. We know that much," Dickerson said.
The moms want to make sure no child is left behind again.
"As far as the school, I would like to see them have a little more guidelines as far as the kids' names, their address, contact number, how many children are on that bus," Moore said.
On Tuesday, the driver was suspended from driving kids until an investigation is complete. Dickerson said other drivers have been told they must follow procedure and check every seat at the end of each route.
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Kids left on bus
