MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother is demanding answers after she said her 7-year-old daughter was dropped off at the wrong bus stop and wandered around her North Memphis neighborhood hysterical for hours.
Christine Jordan said her daughter Joydai, a Hawkins Mill Elementary School second grader, was not on the school bus when it pulled up to her stop at Knob Drive and Rammesses Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.
“I got on the bus and asked the children, ‘Have you seen her?'” Jordan said. “They said she got off at a different stop.”
Jordan said she immediately let the school know while she drove around the neighborhood for nearly two hours.
The worst thoughts crossed her mind. They just moved to their home last month.
She called it a miracle she found her little girl.
“She was at this corner with a man,” Jordan said. “The man said he saw my daughter crying and asked what was wrong. She said she was lost and got off at the wrong stop.”
Shelby County Schools officials said they understand it was a scary situation and are looking at ways to prevent these hiccups moving forward.
They said the principal is working with both the parent and transportation staff and assured WREG this won’t happen again.
Jordan thinks the bus driver should be held accountable.
“What if my daughter didn’t come home?” she said. “What if I was still looking for her right now at this moment?”
She said she is just grateful for the good Samaritan who helped her daughter home.
“To find my daughter and help her find her way home, I really want to thank him,” she said.
Shelby County Schools said it is important students are aware of their bus stops. Only special-needs students, kindergartners and first graders are required to have parents present at the stops.
Durham School Services issued this statement: “Durham School Services’ top priority is the safety of the students we transport, and as such, we work to ensure that the students get off at the right stop. It is our protocol alongside Shelby County Schools that a parent, guardian or a student 11 years or older be present at the stop for pre-kindergarteners, kindergarteners and 1st grade students. We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and are glad that the child made it home safely.”
