LadyOurlove McInnis, a Minneapolis 4-year-old, was dropped off at a homeless shelter -- miles from her home -- after her first day of school Wednesday, KARE reports.
The girl's mother, LadyAshley Myers, is now calling for the driver's termination. She tells the station that she called a district office inquiring her daughter's whereabouts when the girl didn't return as scheduled. Officials later found out that LadyOurlove had been dropped off at Mary's Place, a homeless shelter and the last stop on the school bus route.
A staff member at the homeless shelter called the district office, notifying them that a child that doesn't live there had been dropped off. Officials wanted to place the girl in a taxi to be sent home, but Myers refused.
Myers says that while her daughter enjoyed her first day at Bryn Mawr Elementary, the girl is still traumatized by the incident. LadyOurlove is enrolled in the Hi-5 early learning program.
"My daughter has not slept in the bed with me since she was 2 years old. Last night, she slept in a bed with me because she was so upset," Myers told KARE, adding that she had promised her daughter she'd be there to pick her up as encouragement to attend her first day.
The situation Myers encountered mirrors a handful of incidents across the country involving busing oversight. Just last week, a special education student in Simi Valley, Calif. was left alone on a school bus for more than four hours.
The student was picked up for the first day of classes at Crestview Elementary School, but ended up alone on the bus after the driver had parked and left. The district is investigating the incident.
In May, a 7-year-old Hidden Hollow Elementary School student was reputedly kicked off her school bus in an unfamiliar Eagle Mountain, Utah neighborhood and left to find her own way home.
The bus driver demanded that the girl get off the school bus because she didn't recognize the student, who usually walks home but was taking the bus to visit a friend's home after school that day. The driver was put on paid leave pending an investigation.
Back in Minnesota, the offending driver has been reprimanded and will receive further training to prevent similar future situations.
"It's unfortunate that this happened, but we are thankful that the student was safe and supervised during the entirety of the incident," district communications director Rachel Hicks told KARE.
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