A stranger's screams in the hallway
At around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 26, Em McLellan said she heard screaming coming from the hallway of her apartment building. When she went to look, she found a young boy, believed to be around three or four years old, inconsolable and crying out for his mother.
With no parent in sight and no way to know where the child belonged, McLellan started looking for answers herself. She went through the boy's bookbag and found out he was a student at Laurier-Carrière Catholic Elementary School.
Police reunite the boy with his family
The Ottawa Police Service confirmed it received a call just after 3 p.m. that day from someone reporting they had found a child. Officers responded and reunited the young pupil with his family.
The relief of that reunion doesn't erase the obvious question: how did a kindergartener end up alone in a stranger's hallway in the first place?
Off at the wrong stop
More than 25 students were dropped off at that same stop that day, and several parents were there waiting, but not his.
What the rules say should have happened
Ottawa's school busing is run by Le Consortium de transport scolaire d'Ottawa (CTSO), which sets the safety rules for every ride. Under those rules, a parent or someone designated by the parent is required to be present at both the boarding and drop-off location for young students.
CTSO's own procedures spell out what's supposed to happen when that doesn't line up: if no responsible person is present at the stop, the child is supposed to be returned to school at the end of the route rather than left there. That safeguard is exactly what didn't happen on Aug. 26, when the boy was let off at a stop that wasn't his, in a crowd where nobody was specifically watching for him.
Board says it's taking steps to avoid a repeat
CECCE says it is taking steps to avoid a repeat of the incident, including following up directly with CTSO and the transportation service provider that operates the route.
For now, the incident stands as a reminder of how much of a young child's safety on the ride home depends on a single adult being in the right place at the right time, and of how quickly that link can break in a crowd of 25 kids and their parents.
Sources: Yahoo News Canada, Le Consortium de transport scolaire d'Ottawa (CTSO)
