Mother speaks out after son was dropped off at wrong bus stop

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The wheels of the bus are turning in circles. However, for one Houston County kid, the wheels didn’t go exactly where he thought they would.

Laquinta Williams is the mother of 9-year-old Ziden Towles.

“At 2 p.m. I got a call that my son had been dropped off in the wrong neighborhood,” Williams said.

On June 4, Ziden took the bus home from a day of summer learning at Pearl Stephens Elementary School in Warner Robins.

Williams was working at the time and expected her son to return home safely. But when she learned he had been dropped off in another neighborhood, she called the school and filed a police report.

“I’m a worried mom,” Williams said. “We’re all we have. When you don’t know where a child is, you’re supposed to contact the school, you’re supposed to take that child back to that school and contact that parent. I was never informed. when it comes to my son, why are you paying these people to take care of our children or just to drop them off anywhere I’m in pain, I’m afraid and I want to? let something be done.”

The report also states that her child has asthma and that Williams had to tell her child to walk ten minutes to her aunt’s house and wait.

Williams said she was not satisfied with the school’s response.

“They’re trying to make it look like it was a mistake when it wasn’t,” Williams said. “I told them where my son was supposed to be dropped off. How did he end up on the other bus? I don’t care if it was red, yellow, green, blue – they should be held accountable.”

After speaking to the Houston County School District, they sent a response saying:

“Due to federal privacy laws, we are unable to discuss student matters in detail. However, we can provide this statement. After learning of this incident, the district has taken swift action to open an investigation Several administrators, including an assistant superintendent, school staff and transportation department officials were in communication with the family to apologize for the incident and assure the parent that it would not happen. would occur again. We have reviewed our safety protocols with our drivers and school staff to ensure safe and reliable transportation for our students.

Ultimately, Williams said Ziden was scared and worried about her child’s safety.

Once summer school ends, she said she plans to return to normal and drive her children to school herself.

“I pick you up and drop you off the same way the bus does, I can do the same thing and I can know you’re picked up safely and dropped off safely at all times,” Williams said.