Kids left on School Buses

I am really worried my son will get left on a school bus or get on the wrong bus or miss the after school bus and get stuck at school. I think I am just worried about the whole bus thing in general. My oldest will be in kindergarten next year and he has the option of taking the bus. I am not ready for that. Is he? What in the world am I going to do? Maybe private school and carpooling is my answer. Has anyone else dealt with this dilemma?

BY HOI 19's Nishi Gupta: After two kids were left on a school bus within 8 days, some Peoria District 150 parents are questioning it's bus policies. It goes on the list of parent's worst nightmares. "All these things ran through my mind when I found he was left on the bus," said District 150 parent Sallie Brown.

Late last month, her son 5-year-old son Xavier, fell asleep on a school bus and missed his stop at Valeska Hinton School. His mom thinks she only learned of it because Xavier's teacher is a relative and called to find out why he wasn't in class. He was discovered by a monitor at a district bus barn.

"I don't think that's fair. They should've called me. I could've came and got him myself," said Brown. Last week, Valeska parent Terra Langfeldt's 4-year-old was left on the bus for 40 minutes. She says it wasn't until her son began screaming for help that anyone noticed."We as the parents are not doing our job correctly if we allow the district to get away with this and that's my mission right now to make sure it doesn't ever happen to another child," said Langfeldt.
The parents suggest a roll call or head count and ask why bus monitors aren't checking for kids at every stop.

According to the district there was no violation of procedure monitors are only supposed to check for kids at the bus barn. But parents say that's ridiculous."I think bus monitors should go back and forth when they drop the kids off, they should go back and check the bus or do head counts or something. not just do checks when they're back at the bus barn," said Brown.
The district spokeswoman says both incidents are closed.

She adds personnel information and disciplinary action can not be released. Meanwhile, this week both families will be reviewing video from the bus cameras.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen