Jenks Kindergartener Gets Lost On Bus Coming Home From School, District Addresses Parents Concerns

Thousands of Green Country kids get to and from school in school buses safely every year. But on Monday, a Jenks Kindergartener got lost on his way home.

Stefanie Porter, a parent of two Jenks students, says she was terrified when only one of her two sons got off of the school bus.

Jenks Public Schools acknowledges mistakes were made but says it’s doing all it can to keep kids safe.

Porter’s five-year-old son fell asleep on a bus coming home from an Elementary school in Jenks on Monday. When the school found her son, they told Porter he would be taken back to school, so she could pick him up there.

Eventually, Porter found out her son had actually been dropped off at his original bus stop, and no one was home.

“I do feel like they are working really, really hard to get this resolved,” said Porter. “I know that this whole thing was just a huge miscommunication, but either way, it was terrifying."

Rob Loeber, the Director of Communications for Jenks Public Schools, says it’s common to have issues at the beginning of the school year when kids are still learning the ropes.

"Especially these first couple of days of school when we have young kids who have never ridden a bus before, some of them fall asleep on a bus, some of them don't have much awareness for their surroundings," said Loeber.

Loeber says the Director of Transportation has already met with bus drivers to make sure everyone is on the same page about what the protocols are. He says if there are any problems, he’s glad for parents to contact the district. Parents can call or email the district and that information is on the district’s website.

"We want to work with parents, and we want to work with our community,” said Loeber. “And so, it's hard for us to address issues that we don't know about."

Porter says she appreciates the district’s help, but hopes she never has to go through something like this again. Now, she’s talking to her kids to make sure they also learn from what happened.

"I am trying to make sure that he is better aware of his surroundings, and that he is paying more attention and trying to stay more alert while on the bus,” said Porter.

The district says if this happens, the protocol is to take the student back to the next school the driver is going to where a shuttle will take the child back to their original school to be picked up by a parent.

You can find contact information for the district HERE.