FERGUSON, Mo. — Taylor and her daughter have a routine. After school, either she or her husband meet their six-year-old at the bus stop two blocks from their home.
On, Tuesday the routine was off. Taylor, who did not want to give her last name, signed up her daughter for a basketball clinic at their elementary school. She said she filled out the proper registration form and permission slip. Her daughter was supposed to stay at school until 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
When Taylor pulled up to her home around 4 p.m. Tuesday, she found her daughter, crying in their front yard.
“It was a worst nightmare,” Taylor said. “You think of everything that could happen.”
Instead of staying at school, Taylor got on her regular bus. She walked home alone.
Taylor said her daughter banged on their front door, but nobody answered.
Just before 4 p.m., Taylor pulled up to her home and saw her daughter in the front yard.
“She was shaking to the point we had to hold her to comfort her,” Taylor said. “It was sadness and anger and all of those emotions came over me at one time.”
For safety reasons, Taylor does not want to name her daughter’s school. She met with the principal and feels better after their conversation.
“She was very apologetic,” she said. “How does the child fall through the cracks through so many teachers?”
A spokesperson with the Ferguson-Florissant School District issued the following statement regarding the incident:
“Our first priority is student safety and fortunately our student is safe. When we learned of the miscommunication resulting in the student arriving home unexpectedly, we reviewed the incident and our procedures with the parent and our staff to prevent a future occurrence.”
