NATICK, MASS. (WHDH) - A Natick family is sharing a “horrific experience” in which they said their 10-year-old son was dropped off more than two miles away from their home by a Kennedy Middle school late bus Thursday.
Jennifer Coppellotti said her son Harrison Coppellotti stayed after class to do some woodworking, and he had to take the late bus home. She said Harrison is new to the middle school, and using the late bus.
Harrison, a fifth-grader, said the bus driver drove by his stop a few times, then got further and further away from his home. As the bus let kids off near Home Depot on Speen Street, he said he figured he should get off, too. The stop was about two-and-a-half miles from his home.
Harrison’s worried parents began driving around and making calls, not understanding why the late bus was so late.
“The bus department, Kennedy Middle School, all the phone numbers available were going straight to voicemail,” Jennifer said. “So I was on one phone, my husband was on the other, and finally just two streets from our house we finally located my son, but it was very emotional to say the least.”
The Coppellotti’s believe their son spent an hour or more walking along busy Speen Street.
Harrison told 7NEWS he was able to keep his cool, and he “backtracked from where the bus went” to find his way back home. He said he got confused “at some point, where there were no sidewalks,” but stayed focused on seeing his dog when he got back.
“I was pretty frantic, yes, I’m calming down now but it’s still very fresh and scary,” Jennifer said.
Connolly and Sons, the company that runs Natick’s bus service, had no comment for 7NEWS.
7NEWS also went to the Natick Public Schools’ Superintendent’s office Friday, but was told she was not available.
In a statement, Kennedy Middle School wrote, “Student safety remains the top priority of Natick Public Schools. We take this report and all student safety reports seriously, and are actively investigating this incident.”
The Coppellotti family said they would like to see school officials make some changes, including a monitored phone line for parents in distress, and a policy requiring bus drivers to ask students getting off the bus if they know where they are going.
Jennifer said the late bus caters to multiple schools, and kids are supposed to announce where they live when they board.
“To mix 10-year-olds up to 18-year-olds on one bus and not be asking questions is pretty negligent,” she said. “We have decided that if he is going to stay after school for tech ed, we will pick him up.”
The Coppellotti’s said they met with school officals, who promised changes, including making sure parents making calls about bus service get through to someone who can help.
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