NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle parents of students at the Windward Upper School were freaking out this morning as their kids went missing for almost two hours Wednesday morning.
Windward is an independent school exclusively for students grades one through nine with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities,
A bus driver working for Mile Square Transportation was fired Wednesday after he became lost with 10 children on his morning route from New Rochelle to the Windward Upper School. The children were located in Yonkers and taken to the school without harm.
The last child board the morning bus at 7:45 a.m. The children were not recovered from Yonkers until 9:30 a.m.
According to sources with the District, the driver was new. It was first day on the route, having successfully completed the route three times during “dry runs” to prepare for today. When he became lost he failed to contact the bus company dispatcher. Children on the bus use their personal mobile phones to call their parents and alert them to the situation.
“The driver went as far as the Bronx and was on all different parkways,” said parent Sharon Rodriquez.
There have been problems with bus transportation from New Rochelle to the Windward School twice this year. Earlier in the year, parents were abruptly notified that bus service would not be provided during the winter break because while Windward was open the school was district was closed. Many of the students at Windward are classified special education students entitling them to bus service whenever their school is open.
The driver has been terminated and a new driver will be assigned tomorrow.