As I've stated in previous posts, Jonathon has been the victim of more than one traumatic event by people we should've been able to completely trust. The first incident that was pure neglect, and should have never happened, occurred when Tim was in the Navy and we lived in Washington state.
On this particular day, the bus came, as it did every afternoon, to pick Jonathon up for transport to his school approximately 30 minutes away. After I got him on the bus, the driver secured him in his safety belt and off they went. I don't remember what, but something was going on that day and I was going to drive up to the school. Once the bus pulled away, I went back into the house, got myself ready and left to go to the school. When I arrived at the school, I noticed other children who rode the bus were there, but Jonathon was no where to be found.
I approached Jonathon's teacher and asked "where's Jonathon?" I could feel the blood drain out of my face when she said, "he came with you today." My words were slow as I stated, "No, he rode the bus." She tried to convince me I was mistaken and that Jonathon had come to school with me. Raising my voice to her, I stated, very matter of factly, that I had put him on the bus myself and if he did not get off the bus, then where was he?! Finally sensing my mounting panic she raced to the telephone and placed a call to the bus garage. I was absolutely shocked when the teacher came back to tell me they were trying to find him! What did she mean "trying to find him?" How could he be lost? He had been belted into the seat and could not get out of that seat belt without an adult letting him out. I was instantly sick to my stomach. I could feel, and hear, my heartbeat pounding in my chest during the minutes that slowly passed while waiting to hear back, from someone, anyone, as to Jonathon's whereabouts.
Finally the call came in, they had found him. He was being brought to me at the school and would be there in 10-15 minutes. The teacher started explaining to me what had happened and I could not believe what I was hearing. Jonathon had evidently fallen asleep on the bus and slumped over onto the seat. When the bus arrived at the school and all the kids got off, apparently no one noticed Jonathon did not unload. The driver drove to the bus garage, parked the bus in the garage and left for the day! Jonathon was found, on the bus, in the bus garage!
When Jonathon finally got to me... I was furious! My poor wee man was soaked with sweat, his face was beet red, he had wet his pants, and he was sobbing! I can't even imagine how terrifying it must have been for him to wake up and everyone is gone and he is strapped in his seat... no one coming to help him. He was four years old! Thinking about it, even now, makes me sick to my stomach. I try not to think of what he went through, but I do. I wonder if he was crying out for help. Did he even know HOW to cry out for help? He barely had any genuine language at that age. I know it was traumatic for him, but we will never know the extent.
We later found out that ALL bus drivers are supposed to walk the length of their buses when parking them. This driver did not do that. She parked the bus and left. The next time we saw her, she had been reprimanded, and had the guts to try to turn the incident around on me! She accused me of not making sure Jonathon was getting enough sleep, and that I needed to "find a way to keep him awake on the bus ride to school." Seriously?! He was four! Four year olds sometimes fall asleep while riding in vehicles! Had she taken 30 seconds to walk the length of the bus it never would've happened.
Unfortunately as heartbreaking as this incidence was... there have been others that were so much worse!
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