Baltimore mother says 6-year-old dropped off at wrong school bus stop

A Baltimore mother is raising concerns about student safety after she said her 6-year-old stepson was dropped off nearly a half mile from his bus stop, across a busy street. 

Kristen Helm said Tuesday was her stepson, Kayden's, second day of first grade at Morrell Park Elementary. 

Student dropped at wrong bus stop 

Kayden's bus stop was supposed to drop him off at 2:30 p.m. at a corner just a few houses down from their home. 

When the bus did not come, Helm's fiancé called the school. 

"They say, 'Oh well, the bus driver's in an argument with the principal right now,'" Helm said. "It's chaos here, but don't worry, the kids are still at school, they're safe. They will be home shortly." 

Nearly 30 minutes after his drop-off time, there was still no sign of Kayden, Helm said. 

"My neighbor's son had been dropped off half a mile away at a grocery store the day before, so my fiancé is walking down to the grocery store to attempt to see if our child is down there," she said. 

Kayden was not at the grocery store, so Helm's fiancée called the school again. This time, the school said the bus driver had dropped Kayden off at his regular spot. 

Helm said he wasn't there. 

"From the point that he leaves school, to the point that he gets dropped off, we have no contact," Helm said. "So, we're both panicking, trying to figure out where along this bus route, if even on the bus route, he was dropped off." 

Finding her stepson

Panic set in, and Helm frantically started making calls to see if anyone had seen her son. 

That's when Helm said she saw Kayden running across the street, screaming her name. 

His friend's father had driven Kayden home after both his son and Kayden were dropped off near Desoto Park. 

Helm said Kayden's friend is a few grades above her stepson and has a cellphone, so he was able to call his dad for help. 

Desoto Park is located nearly half a mile from Kayden's drop-off location and across Washington Boulevard. 

Calling for action 

Helm asked her stepson whether he was told he needed to get off at that stop, but he couldn't remember. He told her, "The bus left."

"We don't even know if they told him, 'I don't care if this isn't your stop, you have to get off,' or if they just let him get off with his friends," Helm told WJZ. "But either way, we're entrusting you [the bus driver] with the safety of our children, and you're just dropping them off anywhere, and then lying to the school." 

Helm said she wants the driver fired, and wants something to be done to ensure the kids are monitored when getting on and off the bus.

"I just feel like it's not going to stop until a kid gets hurt or killed," she said. 

Helm said she is in communication with the school and was told the driver would be removed from the route. But, she's worried about it happening again to someone else's child. 

WJZ has reached out to Baltimore City Schools for comment. They have acknowledged our request, and we are waiting for their statement.