ST. PETERS, Mo. — You trust them to get your child to school, every day. But a mother in St. Peters said, not only was her young son left behind at the school bus, she believes it was done on purpose.
She shared her story, only with 5 On Your Side's Chris Davis.
"Really really alarming with how they’re taking care of our kids," said Kera Brashear.
She said her son was standing at the bus stop Thursday morning. He was waiting to get on board when, the next thing he knew, the doors shut in his face and the bus left without him.
Kera said her older daughter, who did make it on the bus, urged the driver to go back.
"And his answer was 'yea' and kept going," she said.
A spokesperson for the Francis Howell School District confirms Kera's 6-year-old was left at the bus stop but added the driver reported that he did not see another child at the door.
Still, the district and transportation company First Student are conducting a joint investigation. In the meantime, they have placed that driver on a different route.
"He doesn’t need to be working with children," said Brashear, "I would want him to know that he really hurt a 6-year-old’s feelings. I would ask him what would he do if it was his child?"
She said First Student crossed a line, and it will take a lot for them to regain her trust.
Meanwhile, she urges other parents to stay alert.
"Ask your kids questions about their bus rides. Just be more vigilant," she said.
She also wants her son to know, this wasn't his fault.
"I can’t tell him it won’t happen again because I never would have thought it would happen to him this way," said Brashear.
Francis Howell School District plans to drop First Student next year and do student transportation in house.
A spokesperson for the district tells 5 On Your Side they hope the move will help improve concerns from parents.