OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An Osceola County mother says her 13-year-old son was put in an unsafe situation after multiple students were forced to sit on the floor of a school bus due to overcrowding.
Carla Hannon says she received a photo Friday, Jan. 23, showing her son Lucas and several other students sitting on the floor of a school bus as they rode home from school.
“He sends me the picture and immediately my heart dropped,” Hannon said. “Because in the picture you can see there’s about nine students sitting on that floor, including my son.”
Hannon says a substitute driver arrived in a wheelchair-accessible bus that was not designed to carry the number of students assigned to the route. Instead of contacting dispatch for guidance, she says the driver allowed students to remain on the bus without seats.
“Instead of calling into dispatch and saying, ‘hey, I have too many kids’ — she didn’t do that,” Hannon said.
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Hannon says the situation left her shaken and worried about her child’s safety.
“I was pacing up and down my house, back and forth. My hands were shaking,” she said. “I have never felt so frustrated and helpless at the same time because of the situation.”
Several students were seated on the floor near exposed metal areas of the bus, raising concerns about what could have happened if the bus had stopped suddenly or been involved in a crash.
“If anybody was to hit that side of the bus… these kids could go flying,” Hannon said.
After receiving the photo, Hannon says she called the Osceola County School District Transportation Unit but was placed on hold for an extended period of time. Frustrated, she decided to share the photo on social media.
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The post quickly gained attention online. Shortly after, the district issued a response acknowledging the incident.
In a statement, the Osceola County School District said in part, “We are aware of a situation that occurred yesterday in which a wheelchair accessible school bus was loaded with more students than available seats. The incident is being investigated, and appropriate action will be taken by management.”
The district also told News 6 that parents were notified about the incident through the school’s alert system.
Hannon says she hopes the district follows through and ensures something like this never happens again.
“I just want the kids to be safe,” she said.