Currituck County, NC - A teary-eyed and painful walk home for a Currituck County girl.
All because her school bus driver made what her mother calls an unacceptable judgment call.
Elissa Cooper couldn't believe it. Her daughter Lauren was dropped at the Aydlett post office, by her bus driver - a mile and a half from home.
"I asked her, well, what did you say to the bus driver? The bus driver said 'well, you'll just have to walk.'"
With no other option, that is exactly what Lauren did. At only 11 years old this middle school student walked along this narrow, windy, country road. To make matters worse, it was dusk with no street lights.
Elissa knew something was wrong when she saw her daughter, but no school bus.
She got home shortly after 6 - in tears.
"She was purple in the face, blisters on her feet, she had been carrying two book bags."
The bus normally drops Lauren off at the end of their driveway. But, on the 13th she took the late bus home and late bus stops are different.
Lauren's parents said they weren't told about the different stops for the late bus and as a result their daughter's safety was at risk.
"We just want to make sure this doesn't happen again," says her dad John.
Elissa says she spoke to several people at the school immediately following the incident and basically had rules recited to her.
NewsChannel 3 called Currituck County Middle School for comment, but our calls weren't returned.
All because her school bus driver made what her mother calls an unacceptable judgment call.
Elissa Cooper couldn't believe it. Her daughter Lauren was dropped at the Aydlett post office, by her bus driver - a mile and a half from home.
"I asked her, well, what did you say to the bus driver? The bus driver said 'well, you'll just have to walk.'"
With no other option, that is exactly what Lauren did. At only 11 years old this middle school student walked along this narrow, windy, country road. To make matters worse, it was dusk with no street lights.
Elissa knew something was wrong when she saw her daughter, but no school bus.
She got home shortly after 6 - in tears.
"She was purple in the face, blisters on her feet, she had been carrying two book bags."
The bus normally drops Lauren off at the end of their driveway. But, on the 13th she took the late bus home and late bus stops are different.
Lauren's parents said they weren't told about the different stops for the late bus and as a result their daughter's safety was at risk.
"We just want to make sure this doesn't happen again," says her dad John.
Elissa says she spoke to several people at the school immediately following the incident and basically had rules recited to her.
NewsChannel 3 called Currituck County Middle School for comment, but our calls weren't returned.
