Two Broward parents said their daughter and six other middle school girls were dropped off by their school bus in the wrong South Florida city on Monday.
Samantha Cisneros, 10, and the other students from Forest Glen Middle School were supposed to be dropped off at a bus stop in Coral Springs, not more than 10 minutes from the school, and just blocks away from their homes. But instead they were dropped off at Broward Health North in Pompano Beach, about eight miles away, Samantha and her parents said.
On Monday night Samantha cried about the situation she and the other girls, none older than 13, experienced. She told NBC 6 she didn’t want to set foot inside of the bus again.
She said that she and the other girls told the driver he had passed their destination, she asked him to stop, but he continued to drive.
One of the girls had a cell phone, which is how they were able to get in contact with their parents.
Samantha’s father, Wilson Cisneros, said he asked to be put on the phone with the driver, but the man said he couldn’t talk while driving.
“I’m totally frustrated, mad, angry. And I just can’t believe a person would just drop a child off in the street basically to just fend for yourself,” Wilson Cisneros said.
His wife Tracy Cisneros said they don’t know who the driver is.
“He was not nice, he wouldn’t communicate to my husband and say where he was dropping them off. It’s not good. It’s not acceptable. And where are they getting these people from?” she said.
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The parents didn’t know for sure why the children had been dropped off at the hospital, but thought perhaps the driver considered it was a safe landmark.
The Broward County Public Schools responded with a statement Monday night.
"We are investigating this incident. Transportation Department representatives reached out to the parents/families of the students this evening. We apologize to the students and families impacted by this incident,” school district spokeswoman Tracy Clark said. “The safety and security of our students is our highest priority."
This year the Broward County Public Schools made it a priority to prevent a repeat of last year's bus fiasco. Buses failed to show up at stops and students were dropped off at the wrong locations. The problems went on for weeks.
Broward Superintendent of Schools Robert Runcie has said they have made a concerted effort to have a successful back to school season which includes recruiting and hiring more bus drivers, and adopting a new routing system which prevents drivers from having a more consistent route. Earlier Monday, he touted the improvements the district has made.
“By all accounts, the reports I’ve seen and heard today are all very positive. I heard from many of our folks in transportation and many veterans who’ve been here 20 years or longer says it’s the best start since they’ve been here,” Runcie said.
The Cisneros parents said they plan to drive Samantha to school in the morning and talk with the principal about the situation.
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