Connecticut Mother Seeks Answers After School Bus Mishap

A mother from Connecticut is requesting an apology and an investigation following a significant mistake that led school bus drivers to take her autistic son more than 40 miles in the wrong direction during the first week of school.

Summers McCray expressed her concern when her son didn’t arrive home at the expected time. She shared her experience on “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday, saying, “I was really worried.” When her son didn’t come home, she felt compelled to reach out to the bus company, First Student.

However, when she called, the company told her they needed to get in touch with the driver, and she was placed on hold. “It just didn’t make sense to me,” McCray recalled. “Why do they need my number to call me back when there’s a GPS in the bus?” This confusion only added to her worry.

Eventually, she provided her number, but after not hearing back, she decided to try contacting them again. That’s when she found out the bus’s GPS system had failed, which had caused the routing error.

In a moment of panic, McCray tracked her son’s location through his iPhone, and to her shock, he was in Danbury—over 40 miles away from their home in New Britain. After involving the police, they arranged to meet the bus at a local 7-Eleven.

Despite the company’s explanation of the incident, McCray feels that something went seriously wrong. “I just want to understand where the breakdown happened,” she said.

First Student later acknowledged the situation, issuing an apology for the issues experienced by families during the start of the school year. They expressed commitment to making necessary corrections to improve operations and ensure dependable service, noting that many transport providers face challenges regarding timely bus delivery and driver availability.

As for McCray’s son, the New Britain Unified School District is currently arranging alternative transportation for him, which is not affiliated with First Student.