Prince Oquendo couldn’t wait for his first day of school.
“He was overly excited,” the 5-year-old’s mother, Michelle, said.
But hours after boarding the school bus outside his Amity Township home, the kindergartner felt much different. Overlooked by a bus driver, the boy was left stranded, locked alone on a school bus for almost four hours.
Tuesday was the first day of school for the Daniel Boone School District. Prince was set to attend the morning session of half-day kindergarten at Monocacy Elementary Center.
He boarded the bus with his older sisters and other children, who were dropped off at Amity Elementary Center. Prince was the lone kindergartner on the bus headed to Monocacy.
But the driver didn’t notice him, and drove back to the bus parking lot at New Rhoads Transportation, the company that handles the school district’s busing. The driver then got off the bus without walking up and down the aisles, which is standard procedure, said Steve Rhoads, owner of New Rhoads.
Rhoads said the driver, who was not identified, was immediately fired after the incident came to light.
“There’s no excuse for it,” he said.
Prince remained locked inside the bus for several hours.
His predicament was discovered only when the bus that was to drop him off at home around noon – a different bus – didn’t show up.
His mother called the district and found out that he hadn’t gotten on that bus. Thinking he must be waiting at school, she headed there.
He was nowhere to be found.
“I started freaking out,” she said.
Oquendo was ushered into the school office, where she was told what happened.
“I was beyond irate,” she said. “He told me he cried himself to sleep to make the time go faster until someone found him.”
Although it wasn’t overly hot Tuesday, temperatures did reach the mid-80s. And with it being cool that morning, Oquendo had dressed Prince in sweatpants and a jacket.
Sitting in a sealed bus for hours had had an impact.
“He was so hot he was out of it,” the mother said. “He didn’t even know who I am.”
Oquendo took Prince to a hospital, where he was given fluids and told to rest. He missed school Wednesday, his stomach hurting and both he and his mom wary.
When he does go back, it won’t be on a big yellow bus.
“He’s not going on another bus,” she said.
Rhoads and James Harris, Daniel Boone superintendent, expressed sorrow over the incident.
Harris said the district shares in the blame after “dropping the ball.”
Normally, he explained, parents receive a phone call if their child is reported absent. But, with the hectic nature of the first day of school, that didn’t happen Tuesday.
Harris said everyone involved is “very sorry” and have apologized profusely to the student and his parents. He also said he’s glad the situation didn’t end up worse.
Michelle Oquendo isn’t satisfied with Harris’ mea culpa.
She said there isn’t any excuse for what happened and called the apology too little, too late.
Contact David Mekeel: 610-371-5014 or dmekeel@readingeagle.com.
