Exclusive: Mother Outraged After Son, 5, Left Alone at Bus Stop

A Brookhaven woman is outraged after she says her 5-year-old son was left alone at a bus stop after he was mistakenly sent home early from a Chester, Pa. charter school.

A Brookhaven woman is outraged after she says her 5-year-old son was left alone at a bus stop after he was mistakenly sent home early from a Chester, Pa. charter school.

In an exclusive interview with NBC10’s Monique Braxton, Latasha Cain says her son, Ronald, was dropped off at Adair and Powell Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Friday after he was sent home from the Widener Partnership Charter School on Edgemont Avenue. Cain says her son participates in their daily after-school program.

“This to me is child endangerment. We have a wooded area down here. He could have gotten off the bus and been snatched. It would have taken a second for him to disappear,” said Cain.

Instead, Cain says Ronald walked about two blocks away to his home in the 1200 block of Harshaw Avenue. Cain says a neighbor found the 5-year-old sitting on the steps of her home.

“My neighbor said he didn't have a hat and gloves. They were in the book bag. His coat was unzipped…cheeks red as a beet,” said Cain.

Cain believes her son was outside their home alone for about an hour. She's also angry after she says the school’s principal told her son was escorted to the bus by a 4th grade student.

NBC10 spoke with to Joe Watkins, head of Chester Upland Schools, who says someone will be disciplined.

“We care about every one of the children. When we make mistakes, we have to say we're sorry. We have to take steps to make sure it doesn't ever happen again,” said Watkins.

A spokesperson for the Widener Partnership Charter School issued a statement to NBC10.com saying they are investigating the incident.

"The safety and well-being of our students is our primary concern. The proper protocol is for a student to be returned to the school if there are no adult family members to meet the student at the bus stop. The Chester Upland School District contracts with the bus company for the transportation of all students in the district. We have contacted the bus company which has informed us that the driver will not be available until Monday. We are examining the facts of what occurred, and the school will not make any further statements until we have talked to all individuals involved."

Stay with NBC10.com for more on this developing story.

 

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