5-year-old assigned to Wake County middle school bus
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A mother's fight to protect her child is leading to questions about transportation wait times at Wake County schools.
Over the summer, Amanda Howell drove her 5-year-old daughter to and from Durant Road Elementary School every day while she waited a month to be assigned a bus stop.
Once Howell received the notice, she learned her kindergartner would be the only elementary school student on an hour-long bus route transporting students twice her age to Durant Road Middle School.
"A bus is a scary situation to begin with for a 5-year-old, but then for it to be all older children, none of whom she knows, and then to have them all get off at the middle school and she's left alone, it's just a very confusing situation for her to be in," said Howell.
Per the advice of her daughter's teacher, Howell filled out an online complaint form on the Wake County schools transportation website.
"We contacted them immediately saying we don't feel safe about this," said Howell. "Are there alternatives?"
She received an automatic response with a message to families asking for patience during the first 30 days of school.
While the email states a customer service representative will respond, it does not indicate when.
"It's been almost three weeks now, and they just don't call us back," Howell said.
The WCPSS transportation website states safety concerns will be reviewed immediately.
Otherwise, all other requests will be reviewed within the first 45 days of school.
Wake County schools officials tell ABC11 it's not uncommon to have multiple levels of students riding the same bus.
Meantime, Howell's rearranging her work schedule so she can drive her daughter to school.
"We still don't have it resolved in a way that we feel comfortable, and we should feel comfortable and safe putting our kid on the bus," said Howell.
