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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No mask so school bus left my DD

492 replies

onanislandfaraway · 14/06/2021 22:34

Both me and my DP was at work today so my 13yo DD has to be home alone for a couple of hours until DP gets home at 6pm. I texted her asking did she get home OK and she told me she'd lost her mask during a sports session at school and that the school bus wouldn't let her on so left her at school.

She didn't want to hassle me or DP at work so rang her nan to pick her up and thank god she was able to and only lives a 15 minute drive away so wasn't waiting around too long. Her school is in the next town over to where we live so way too far for her to walk home. AIBU to think that the school bus is responsible for getting children home and should not have just left her at the school? Shouldn't they have spare masks just incase of instances like this? I will of course be making sure she has plenty of spare masks in her bag, to be honest she did use to carry a few spares but didn't happen to have any today. I am quite angry that they've done this.

OP posts:
wasthataburp · 14/06/2021 22:37

Yes, this is utterly irresponsible of the school transport to leave a 13 year old child on the street with out any way of getting home. I'd be making a complaint if I were you

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 14/06/2021 22:38

The bus driver was in a difficult position. Let her on, he's not adhering to restrictions and others would gollow her lead.

And obviously leaving her behind isn't ideal.

Overall, I think he was right.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 14/06/2021 22:39

There's probably at least one kid a week that's forgotten or lost their mask...

BarbarianMum · 14/06/2021 22:40

A little U perhaps? I'm sure if she'd gone back into school and told them what had happened they'd have helped her find a way of getting home safely. So I dont think she was left in danger.

DirectionsForUse · 14/06/2021 22:41

I wouldn't be a school bus driver for all the tea in China.

Someone should have had a spare, probably your daughter. She or a friend must have had something she could improvise with as a face covering surely

GuyFawkesDay · 14/06/2021 22:41

Its not school's decision, it's the bus company. Take it up with them.

We have had to make the phone calls home too on the odd occasion all our spare disposable masks have run out. Its not our job to provide masks either but we provide dozens a day to kids without them. Costs school loads of money.

Its a crap situation, not school or bus drivers fault though. Ultimately it's you and your child's responsibility to ensure they have masks and use them.

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 14/06/2021 22:41

Of course it’s not right to leave a thirteen year old stranded in the next town. Why haven’t they got a box of spares? Honestly, some people.

GuyFawkesDay · 14/06/2021 22:42

We have boxes of spares. Sometimes they're all gone by the end of the day!

Rillington · 14/06/2021 22:44

It's up to you to make sure she has spare masks on her.

lanthanum · 14/06/2021 22:45

Do they not have members of school staff overseeing pupils getting on buses? They should have been the ones to ask the bus driver to wait while she ran to get a mask - I'm sure the school must have spares. Failing that they should have been contacting you and helping ensure she got home safely.

(If it's a service bus, of course, it's outside school control.)

Skengman · 14/06/2021 22:46

Was there anybody on the bus to lend her a mask or something to make a face converting. I've seen people fold a T-shirt into a triangle to make a balaclava.

Was she rude?

Was she clear she needed the bus or did she indicate that she could get picked up.

Was she able to go back into school?

Is there another bus route, (non school service)?

Benediction · 14/06/2021 22:47

I think this is outrageous. What if she had attempted to walk home and been abducted or run over? Yes worst case scenarios but that is what safeguarding is for. If she were an 18 year old that is different but I would be absolutely fuming if my 13 year old were effectively abandoned to her own devices like this.

Distiller91 · 14/06/2021 22:48

Yanbu. Had enough of this entire thing now

Original poster
onanislandfaraway · 14/06/2021 22:48

I was going to talk with the school, my DD wants to just leave it as she thinks I'm making a big issue of of it but she is only 13 and it's so far away from her home. They did leave her in the school grounds so not completely in the street so I can see it from the bus driver's view a tiny bit I guess! But why the hell don't they carry spares? What about a child that may have just turned 11 and thought the school is going to be closed now by the time they walk back (the car park is quite far from school entrance), then not been able to get hold of their parents, stuck in a different town not knowing how to get home, what about in winter when it's getting dark around that time. I know I'm probably overthinking it but you can't ever be too careful with our children's safety surely!

She'd even walked down to a pub car park as that's where some kids' parents pick them up as easier to get to than the school car park and the pub is on a main road at least a 10 minute walk from the school so didn't really like that she was waiting there for her nan.

OP posts:
suzy2b · 14/06/2021 22:52

my granddaughter often comes home from school with a disposable one which means she went to school without one but still gets on the bus to take her to school

Stompythedinosaur · 14/06/2021 22:55

She wasn't abandoned in the middle of no where, she was at school. If she hadn't been able to get a lift she had adults she could ask for help.

I think it is yours and your dd's responsibility to have a mask plus spares. It be happy that the driver is keeping dc safe by sticking to the rules.

Sylvan92 · 14/06/2021 22:59

@Distiller91

Yanbu. Had enough of this entire thing now
Agreed.
Whoateallthechocolate · 14/06/2021 23:00

It seems to me that your DD dealt with it admirably. It was also a situation entirely of her own making. Haven't you had a discussions with her about what to do if she loses her bus pass etc? Isn't the mask situation the same sort of thing these days?

Voice0fReason · 14/06/2021 23:00

The school should have a clear policy on what to do in situations like this. If the bus driver couldn't take her (which I think is a questionable policy) then he should have told her what she needed to do.

Original poster
onanislandfaraway · 14/06/2021 23:00

Skengman she did ask some of her friends before leaving but no one had a spare, I don't believe she was rude, I don't think she would be. She just went to get on and the bus driver said firmly she could not get on without a mask and that was it, no mention of if she could get home OK or make sure you go back to school. I mean surely any competent adult would have the common sense to check that a child was not being left when it's their job to take them home.

OP posts:
DirectionsForUse · 14/06/2021 23:01

She'd even walked down to a pub car park as that's where some kids' parents pick them up as easier to get to than the school car park and the pub is on a main road at least a 10 minute walk from the school so didn't really like that she was waiting there for her nan.

Surely there's something wrong if a 13yo can't safely walk 10 mins along a road and wait in a public place at 3pm (ish) in the afternoon.

I'm going to bet there's a process for this and she could have got a mask if she'd tried. She decided it was easier to fetch nan out.

PixieDust28 · 14/06/2021 23:01

I can't believe they left her there!

Yes they should have spares, just like most shops do!

Your poor DD.

Many times I have seen people just pull their tops over their nose to go into a shop!

ForensicFlossy · 14/06/2021 23:02

She is 13, she is not a young child. My dd always has a handful of masks in case she looses one. She needs to take responsibility.

PixieDust28 · 14/06/2021 23:03

@DirectionsForUse

She'd even walked down to a pub car park as that's where some kids' parents pick them up as easier to get to than the school car park and the pub is on a main road at least a 10 minute walk from the school so didn't really like that she was waiting there for her nan.

Surely there's something wrong if a 13yo can't safely walk 10 mins along a road and wait in a public place at 3pm (ish) in the afternoon.

I'm going to bet there's a process for this and she could have got a mask if she'd tried. She decided it was easier to fetch nan out.

Something wrong with society when a 13 yo girl probably doesn't feel safe walking alone. Even if it was 3pm. That doesn't stop the weirdos.
DirectionsForUse · 14/06/2021 23:06

Something wrong with society when a 13 yo girl probably doesn't feel safe walking alone. Even if it was 3pm. That doesn't stop the weirdos.

There's no suggestion at all that DD didn't feel safe. Or any of the 1000s of children who walk 10 min home from school everyday.

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