CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Halliean Newman’s daughter was supposed to be dropped off by the school bus at about 3:15 p.m. Monday, which was the first day of classes at Governor’s Village STEM Academy.
"When we got here, they said they couldn't find her and she had been placed on the wrong bus," Newman said.
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She said her 6-year-old daughter spent hours riding the wrong bus. Her parents were in a panic to find her.
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"It's been crazy when you don't know where your child is at that age, running around in a city by herself,” the mother said. “That's unthinkable."
She immediately reached out to the Governor's Village STEM Academy for answers but said that didn't give her much relief.
“They're saying the address and information got mixed up somehow,” Newman said. “They didn't have an address for her."
They were eventually reunited at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Newman hopes some change to school protocol might prevent this from happening again.
“They need to communicate more before you send a child outside,” Newman said. “Please do some research to see where the child is supposed to be and if you can't, figure it out. Please pick up the phone and call a parent.”
Newman plans on driving her daughter to school in the future and plans to contact the CMS transportation department.
CMS did not respond to Channel 9’s request for a comment.
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