A 6-year-old girl fell asleep on a school bus and woke up alone at a McDonald's: 'She could've been killed'
A school district in Georgia is investigating after a 6-year-old student was found wandering a busy roadway after falling asleep on her school bus and waking up alone in the McDonald’s parking lot.
Peggie Mitchell put her granddaughter, Khloe, on the bus to Flat Shoals Elementary School on Monday, expecting that the little girl would get to school safely. However, Mitchell told Atlanta news station WAGA-TV that she was “devastated” to find out that Khloe didn’t make it to the Decatur, Georgia, school by bus that morning.
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Instead, Khloe’s teacher called the grandmother to tell her that the student was walked into school by another school employee.
“[The teacher] called and she asked, ‘How did [Khloe] get to school?’ and I told her, ‘On the school bus. I placed her on the school bus myself,'” Mitchell told the Atlanta news station. “And she said, ‘I’m sorry, somebody just walked her into the school.'”
According to WAGA-TV, the bus driver neglected to check the vehicle for any remaining passengers once arriving at the elementary school and did not realize that Khloe had fallen asleep in a seat. Once she arrived at the fast-food restaurant for a quick meal, however, Khloe woke up to find herself alone on the parked bus. The 6-year-old then got off of the bus and started walking along the busy roadway in an effort to make it to school.
“She could’ve been killed or kidnapped,” Mitchell said.
Luckily, another Flat Shoals Elementary School teacher who was driving to school spotted Khloe on the street and made sure that she got to school safely.
Mitchell went on to tell WAGA-TV, “We need to take better care of our kids.”
Dekalb County Schools didn’t immediately reply to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, the school district told the Atlanta outlet that it’s doing what they can to ensure that Mitchell’s request is heard.
“The employee responsible has been removed from duty while a full investigation is completed,” a DeKalb County Schools spokesman told WAGA-TV. “The district will strongly reemphasize to our drivers our expectations for student safety, as well as the penalties for failing to meet that standard.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
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• Father angrily confronts school officials after daughter, 5, is left behind by school bus — again
• School investigates bus aide who pulled a MAGA hat off student’s head: ‘She threatened me’
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