Bend kindergartner found wandering street after bus-stop error

A kindergartner found by police walking along 27th Street Tuesday was accidentally dropped off at the wrong bus stop, according to Bend-La Pine Schools and a police spokesman.

The boy’s mother, Cindi Washington, said she was frantic when her son didn’t get off the bus at the corner of Savannah and Linnea drives after finishing his day at Juniper Elementary.

“All the kids got off, and Dylan was nowhere to be found,” Washington said Wednesday. “You do everything to protect your children, and I want to know that when they get on that bus and go to school that they’re going to come home to me and be safe.”

Little did she know at the time that her 5-year-old son was walking alone along 27th Street, about a half mile away. He had just started riding the bus two weeks ago.

Bend police Lt. Nick Parker said the boy was found wandering and crying by concerned citizens, who alerted police. Police officers contacted his mother and then drove him home.

Washington said it’s not the first time the school district has lost her son after school.

“In September, they let him get on (the bus) when he wasn’t a bus kid. He was supposed to go to Kids Inc.,” the Bend Parks and Rec after-school program, Washington said.

Officials with Bend La Pine Schools told NewsChannel 21 an investigation revealed the bus driver was not negligent. Transportation Manager Denice Blake said the employee is a very experienced driver who knows the route well. She said the bus driver did not see Washington’s son get off at the stop where 37 other children also left the bus.

“We do take this seriously, and these things rarely happen,” Blake said. “Sometimes the communication does break down, but we’re always working against that so it doesn’t happen.”

Washington said she is not sure why her son got off the bus, but believes he may have been confused. She said it’s the school’s responsibility to make sure her son is safe.

“He’s 5 years old. He needs to be supervised, as all other 5-year-olds,” Washington said. “They either need to have extra help on the bus or they need to have precautions so this doesn’t happen.”

Blake said it’s the school district’s policy to only provide bus monitors on buses serving special-needs students. Students are not allowed to get off at a bus stop other than their scheduled stop, unless they have parental permission.

Washington said her son will no longer ride the bus.

“I’ve lost confidence,” Washington said. “He could have been hit by a car, or someone could have kidnapped him.”

Bend-La Pine Schools recommends that all parents take the time to go over bus routes with their children, so they know when to get off and who should be there to pick them up.