Thanks for all your replies, it has gone a bit crazy though hasn’t it. Honestly, I just wanted a little rant when I got home from work and it played on my mind a bit. I can absolutely appreciate she was left at a safe place.
I get that I may seem like I’m being overly cautious to some but when you’ve worked with sexual and violent offenders for the last 15 years it does have an effect on you. She goes to our local town regularly with friends but she doesn’t really know her way around the town her school is in because she was only there a few months before lockdown hit, so yes I was a bit worried she was in a town she didn’t really know on her own heading down to a pub car park. And yes she could have gone back to the school but choose to do this instead, just like other children may choose to do, thinking that school is now closed. There aren’t always staff around (outside anyway) by the time the buses leave.
I get that it’s mine and DD’s responsibility to have plenty of spares, she usually does, I failed to check on Monday, probably wasn’t helped by the fact I’d just come off nights the Saturday morning straight onto day shifts the Sunday morning and DD was doing sports outside all day Monday so didn’t think to bring spares as she knew she wouldn’t be using one for most of the day. When the day was done she went to pick up her belongings and her mask had gone. Yes this is absolutely our responsibility without doubt and just to clarify I didn’t even say she should be allowed to get on the bus without a mask because I wouldn’t want to be that parent that puts everyone else at risk. I am struggling to understand why there aren’t spares for situations like this, because mistakes do happen and things get forgotten. The school could charge the parents and pay the bus drivers. And I know she could have gone into school, I’m not arguing against any of this but maybe a less able child wouldn’t think to walk all the walk back in after school has finished and they may not be lucky enough to have people they could have rang to come get them. Some of these children are only 11 or possibly don't have the same level of competence we'd 'expect' of a high school child.
The only thing that I do find shocking however is all those saying that the bus driver did not have any responsibility. I’m not even talking about responsibility as a bus driver but I’m talking about as a HUMAN BEING, we ALL have a responsibility to others more vulnerable than us. I get he was doing his job and I’m not saying that he should have let her on without a mask but he watched her walk off school grounds not knowing if she had a phone or any other way of her getting home. This to me is unacceptable and it’s not the molly coddling of our children that’s wrong with society it’s the fact that no one gives a shit about the well being of others. It would have taken the bus driver a few seconds to just check she was OK and I don’t just mean this for my child because obviously she’s fine but I mean in general, why aren’t we looking out for others?
Anyway, some of you will probably strongly disagree with me and want me to get over myself, this post did get out of hand but I appreciate all your replies and I hope you realise it’s the bigger picture I’m talking about and not just what happened with my own DD. And one last thing, the patronising comments from some and making posters feel inadequate as a parent really is shit to be honest. I can take being told that I’ve failed as a parent off some randomers that have read a few paragraphs into my parenting, it doesn’t bother me but others who come on here at a time of need will probably be effected a lot more, not just on my post, but in general, you can disagree without ripping people apart, be kind. Thanks for giving me something to read in the sun though, hope you all have a great evening.