You have GOT to be kidding me!!!

I know I said that the sewer plant would be my next post, but something happened today that just has me floored!!!

So I picked up my kindergarten kids. I leave the school at 11:05 am. I just got a new student on my route. She was going to a daycare in town, but now goes to a different "day care" (or rather don't care). It is not an offical one, like with a sign outside that says "day care" and a pushbutton lock on the door. Rather it is someone's house. It sits back off the road a bit, but I can see the front door from my bus.

So, this girl is the second stop off. I am at the "day don't care" at 11:10. She gets off the bus, runs up to the door and tries to open the door. Locked. She rings the bell and pounds on the door. Nothing. There are two cars in the driveway but nobody comes to the window. She kept ringing. After a minute, I called her back to the bus. We have a very strict policy about kindergarteners. If no one is home or comes out to meet them, they don't go home. They go back on the bus till someone can be reached and if needs be, back to school. I radioed in that she was back with me. Since this is a new "day don't care", the phone number is not in our system. I was told to continue on with my route and stop back by her house after I was done.

ONE HOUR LATER I'm back in front of the "day don't care". If anyone had called in looking for her, I would of been notified. I had not been notified of anything. Again, two cars in the driveway, ringing of the doorbell and pounding and nothing. So she is back on my bus. I radio in again. "Base" is aware of what is going on and starts calling all the phone numbers on file. Finally, they got ahold of Mom, who is home sick (across the road from "day don't care") and asked if I could bring the girl over to her. When I dropped her off, Mom looked be all of 17 years old.

ONE HOUR LATER, at home, now 1pm. I get a phone call from the dispatcher asking where the girl is. Seems that Dad is just getting around to looking for her TWO HOURS after she was supposed to be dropped off at "day don't care".

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!

I replayed the whole story to my dispatcher. When I talked to her later, she said that Dad tried to push it back on us (the bus driver and transportation) saying that the "day don't care" provider was standing outside waiting for me and I never showed up. BULL!!!! I was sitting in the road for almost 2 minutes the first time and almost 5 mins the second time.

It just makes me sooooo MAD that it takes 2 flippen hours to get around to looking for a 5 year old. If my child didnt' show up 10 minutes after the scheduled time, I was on the phone tracking her down. I know day care has a purpose and that some parents have to work, but TWO HOURS?!?!?!?!