‘Where’s my child?’ Mother panicked after 6-year-old daughter mistakenly gets put on school bus

RIVERSIDE — A family displaced by a tornado experienced a scary situation when a 6-year-old kindergartener mistakenly got on a bus she wasn’t supposed to at her new school on Monday.

Kaylyn Boldman couldn’t believe it when her stepmother arrived at Stevenson Elementary in Riverside Monday and called to say her 6-year-old son, Xavier was there, but his twin sister, Sophia was not.

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The school said Sophia was placed on a bus she wasn’t supposed to be on.

“Just a whole bunch of different emotions going through at one time,” she said.

Boldman said she called her stepmom and school transportation workers, trying anything to find out where her daughter was and make sure she wasn’t left alone.

As we reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, Bolden was angry, frustrated, and scared during the ordeal.

“I was very concerned. Where’s my child going? Who is going to be there? Is someone going to have her? Is she going to be there by herself?” she said.

Bolden’s stepmom then raced to a bus stop off Valley Pike, beating the bus to get her.

She admitted Mad River Schools have gone out of their way to help her family. They just moved from Indian Lake after being displaced and traumatized by the March 14 tornadoes.

The kids rode the bus for the first three weeks to a mobile home community but recently had to move again and were trying to use open enrollment. Boldman was responsible for their transpiration.

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While Boldman was frustrated with a few people she spoke with, she was trying to stay calm.

“Accidents happen. The school did try to correct it,” she said. “I appreciate them.”

The district released a statement on the incident to News Center 7 that said in part:

“Yesterday, a student at Stevenson Elementary, who had been regularly riding the bus for the past three weeks, boarded the bus as usual. Due to recent changes in the student’s living arrangements, the student is now residing with their mother outside of the district and is not currently enrolled as an Open Enrollment student. With only two weeks remaining in the school year, the logistics of this change were still being addressed. Upon realizing the child was not at the school for car pickup, the school promptly contacted the bus driver and informed them of the situation. Arrangements were made to have the child be dropped off at their previous stop where a relative would be waiting for them. At no point was the child left without adult supervision.

The district takes the safety of our students very seriously. We appreciate the prompt actions of the family, the school staff, and the bus driver in handling this situation efficiently and ensuring the child’s safety.”

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