Broken Arrow Mother Warns Parents After 8-Year-Old Daughter Takes Wrong Bus

A Broken Arrow mother is warning other parents after her eight-year-old daughter took the wrong school bus home and wandered the streets alone for an hour – almost three miles from home.

Adrienne Perez said her daughter was too scared to tell the bus driver she got on the wrong bus, and now, she urges other parents to talk to their kids and make sure this never happens again.

Perez said her eight-year-old daughter Kinsley is sweet, smart, and very shy. She takes the bus home from school and Adrienne said on Tuesday, things went wrong.

"At first we thought the bus was running behind, and when she didn't come home, after about 10 minutes I got in that panic mode," Perez said.

Kinsley missed her bus from Timber Ridge Elementary and got on another bus.

Adrienne said her daughter was scared she would get in trouble, so Kinsley got off the bus with some classmates.

For the next hour, Kinsley wandered down 71st street, lost and crying.

"I can only imagine what she was going through, wondering where her parents were or if she was going to make it home that night," Perez said.

Adrienne said someone spotted Kinsley, so Adrienne rushed to look for her and finally found her about three miles from home.

"Fear. Just heartache, it's a nightmare," she said. "I hope no other family has to go through this type of situation."

Perez said she and her daughter are traumatized so she wants to make sure other parents know to always make a plan for their kids, since this could happen to anyone.

"Talk with them, have a plan, we never ever thought this would happen to us and it happened," Perez said.

"It was such a traumatic experience," she said. "We hopefully can present another family from going through."

The Broken Arrow Public Schools Transportation Department issued a statement, saying, 

“The safety of students is paramount to Broken Arrow Public Schools and we take situations such as these very seriously. When a student realizes they have boarded the incorrect bus, the most important and first step they should take is to tell the bus driver. The driver is trained to handle these situations and will work with the Transportation team and parent to get the student home safely.”