INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Public Schools officials are trying to figure out exactly what happened when a 6-year-old was put on the wrong bus after school Monday, and didn't come home for three hours.
Six-year-old Jazlynne Zerler had her first day of first grade on Monday. But when the bus pulled up to drop her off at her house, she wasn't on it.
Her mother, Britini Hughes, and Hughes' boyfriend, Ross Masenthi, called the school, IPS police and bus dispatch.
At first, an IPS dispatcher told Hughes and Masenthi the bus was running late. Then, they say, they were told to wait and they'll get a call back.
"We're calling six different numbers, non-stop," Masenthi said. "Finally, they said, 'We have no idea where she is. We're going to send a police officer out to file a missing person's report.'"
Hughes said the bus went all the way to the west side, then eventually made it home in Irvington on the east side at 7:30 p.m.
Hughes said her daughter told her they kept asking her questions, and she kept trying to answer them.
"She was confused as well," Hughes said. "They took her to other places in the town asking 'Is this your house? Is this your house?' and she kept telling them no."
After what happened Monday, Hughes said her daughter will not be riding the bus again.
"I'm thinking about pulling her out of school and homeschooling her," Hughes said. "There is no reason -- there is no excuse for any of this. None whatsoever. This is a child, a 6-year-old, a first-grader at that."
An spokesperson said IPS is very regretful and is looking into this to determine what happened and to make sure it won’t happen again. The district released the following statement:
We are aware that a Cold Spring Academy student was significantly delayed getting home on Monday, July 31. While some of our busses were running late, we worked through our Transportation Department and schools to communicate those delays to parents. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by transportation delays.
Despite the worries from Hughes and Masenthi after school, Zerler enjoyed her first day, as only a child can.
"She actually liked it," Masenthi said. "She had a great day."
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