Two Kindergartners Left To Walk After Bus Mishap

The Renton School District is reviewing how its schools identify students who ride on school district buses after two Benson Hill Elementary kindergartners were placed on the wrong bus by school staff and then walk more than a mile to their daycare from the last stop on Friday, September 16.

“The district admits fault, the adults got it wrong and we are learning from the mistake,” says district spokesperson Randy Matheson.

The incident continued as there was a substitute bus driver on the route, unfamiliar with which students should be on the bus and what stops they go to. At the end of the route, all the children including the two kindergartners, a boy and girl got off the bus.

“We have a pool of trained substitute bus drivers who are not assigned to a route until they are called,” said Matheson.  “But it’s not an excuse that this person was a substitute.”

According to published reports the two began to walk to Spring Glen Day Care located behind the Benson Fred Meyer after the center reported to Renton Transportation the two were not on the bus. Benson Hill called every child care center in their service area asking if they had any extra children.

According to transportation records, Benson Hill has three busses in the afternoon. Route 28 leaves Benson Hill at 3:17 p.m. and arrives at Spring Glen Day Care at 3:21 p.m.

Route 27 leaves Benson Hill at 3:17 p.m. and its last stop is at 3:35 p.m. in the 12300 block of Petrovitsky Road South. Route 31 leaves Benson Hill at 3:17 p.m. and its last stop is at 3:26 p.m. in the 4700 block of Talbot Road South..

It’s unknown how long the children were walking alone. They were located by a Spring Glen staff person at an unknown address and returned to the center.

District officials hope to have a district wide plan to the bus drivers soon.