Georgia Father Confronts School Officials After Daughter Gets Left Behind by Bus

(Michael Schueller/Pixabay)

A Georgia father slammed school officials after he and his wife got a phone call about their 5-year-old child being left at school for a third time during this school year.

Tristan King confronted school staff at Norton Elementary School for not keeping track of his daughter, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He said King’s older son called him because his daughter didn’t get on the school bus that day.

“He called us screaming that his sister wasn’t on the bus and they wouldn’t wait for her or let him off to find her,” King told the news outlet.

In a viral video, he told school officials: “If you have adults all through the hallway, how did it happen for the third time?”

“The first time I was calm, I was understanding … the second time, I was mad but I let it go. The third time, my son called me crying from the bus, screaming that he doesn’t know where his sister is,” he added, People magazine reported.

His wife chimed in, saying that their son told the school bus driver to stop.

“He said, ‘don’t pull off. I cannot leave without my sister.’ And they told them to leave anyway. My son was on the bus screaming and crying and y’all still told the bus to pull off,” she told the officials in the Facebook video, which has been viewed 2.4 million times over the past several weeks.

School officials have since apologized over the mishap.

King also wrote on Facebook, “What you dont see is I was told by Gwinnett County Police and the Schools (SRO) That I can not come back on school grounds ever again on my own. If i need to come for any reason I must call the school so they can call the Police to be there while im there. If i came on my own i will be arrested for Criminal Trespassing. How is a concerned parent a Criminal now? Yet yall can lose my 5yr old daughter 3x’s and thats ok.”

Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools, told People magazine: “Mr. King had every right to be upset and the whole thing wasn’t handled well. School officials have reviewed things on their end and some new policies and procedures have been put in place.”

Meanwhile, Principal Melanie Lee stated that his daughter simply missed the bus and wasn’t lost.

“It is reasonable for a parent or sibling who does not know where the child is to be worried and upset,” Lee wrote in early March, People reported. “There is no question that ensuring that students get to and from school safely is the school and school system’s responsibility.”

According to Lee’s letter, “At no time was this parent issued a criminal trespass warning, he is free to come and go to the school like any other parent. That said, it is never appropriate for a parent or adult to use foul language around students or toward school staff,” Yahoo News reported.

Roach told People that King’s son and daughter have been escorted to the bus every day and was “working well.”

But King said that the issue hasn’t been resolved.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone,” he was quoted by People as saying. “I’m worried that this is an epidemic that has been swept under the rug.”

School board member Everton Blair thanked him for his input, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I appreciate you coming and sharing your story, I hope you get the answers that you want. And also hope that we can continue to put things in place that for parents feeling comfortable knowing that who we put our trust in are keeping our students safe,” Blair said.