CARLYLE, Ill. – A mom accused a school bus driver of dropping off a student with special needs in the middle of nowhere. Now, that mom is demanding that the school district make some changes.
Ashli Sparks said her son, Caleb, called her Friday afternoon to tell her he had been kicked off the bus in Hoffman, Illinois, nearly 10 miles from their home in Carlyle.
Ashli’s son has Asperger Syndrome. She said Caleb was kicked off the bus while he was having a melt-down on Friday. She said he asked the bus driver if he could be dropped off at his friend’s bus stop.
Ashli said the bus driver said no because it was not Caleb’s bus stop. Ashli said Caleb pressed the emergency button to open the doors during his melt-down, but the doors didn’t open.
She said the bus driver decided to drop Caleb off near Highway 161 near Trinity Lutheran Church on Huey Road. It’s not a bus stop and Ashli’s family doesn’t attend the church. It’s also near wide fields.
Ashli said the bus driver made a bad decision.
“If they could do that to my kid, they could do that to any kid. What if he tried to cross the road and got hit. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The Carlyle Community Unit School District 1 Superintendent told 5 On Your Side that he stands by the bus driver’s actions. He says he's seen the bus video and feels the student's behavior was a safety concern.
He also said the district called Caleb's parents to tell her about the incident. Ashli said no one from the district called her to let her know her son was dropped off near Highway 161. She also said the school district didn’t notify authorities.
“They should have called the sheriff’s when they needed him off the bus so that he could’ve been handed over to a responsible adult,” Ashli said.
Ashli said she doesn’t plan on taking any legal action against the school district. She said she would like Caleb’s bus driver to be better trained.
“I'm not saying they should fire her, educate her. Teach the bus drivers how to handle special needs kids, how to handle kids with behaviors," she said. "If they would've just let him sit for five minutes, or give him a little break, he would've calmed down.”
A friend of Caleb’s picked him up from Hoffman Friday. We asked the superintendent if the school district is going to do anything in response to this situation. The superintendent said the school district is in the process of reviewing the incident.
