Mannford Mom Takes Matters Into Own Hands After Bus Stop Issues

On any typical school day, Heather Hockersmith's kids would be dropped off almost right in front of their home.

But earlier this week they weren't.

"There's no bus, there's no kids and I'm like, ‘Ok, first day of school, maybe I’m being a little worried,” said Hockersmith.

After a lot of worrying and waiting, she felt some relief.

"Next minute, you know, my kids come running down the street hollering at me with a note, and I'm like, ‘Where did you guys come from?’" she recalled.

The kids had come from up the street, with a note saying the bus would no longer come down Mannford Road. 

From the new drop-off location, driving at 15 miles an hour, it takes about 2.5 minutes to get to Hockersmith’s home. But you have to factor in, her kids, all between the ages eight and nine, had to walk.

Earlier that day the district had to abruptly make the change because the owners of the driveway the bus had been using to turn around said the district couldn't use it anymore.

"It could have been a dog; it could have been a stranger,” said Hockersmith. “Someone could have tried to pick them up down there."

Related Story: Bus Issues Leave Muskogee Mother Searching For Son For Hours

The superintendent told News On 6, in this case, the driver didn't have another option.

They have to factor in the safety of the all the kids on board and backing up wouldn't have been safe.

Hockersmith offered her driveway, but at the time it wasn't wide enough, so she paid to have dirt and gravel hauled in to fix that.

“We said ‘done,’” she recalled. “We're getting it done because we don't want any kid on this road making that walk."

The district checked out the changes and said now it's safe for the bus to turn around there.