It was an unforgettable first day of school for Abigail and Isabel Gough, 5 and 6, for all of the wrong reasons.

Abigail’s teacher  mistakenly assigned her to a bus she was not scheduled to be on. Her big sister, confused, got on the same bus. Being together was more important than anything else.

 In the two and a half hours that followed, the pair were effectively lost on a bus somewhere in the County.

When Alexa Gough went out to meet the schoolbus at the end of the drive that day, her children did not appear. The driver had a list of names, but it was the first day. He had no way of knowing which kids were missing from his bus. Panic set in, and the bus driver contacted the Switzer-Carty dispatch office.

“This affects any parent who is now concerned putting their kids on the bus, because now they know there are no teachers checking who goes where, and that is not changing according to what they have told me,” Ms. Gough said.

“When it comes to your children, fear is very powerful. There is nothing worse than being fearful for your child’s safety. I felt sick. If I can’t trust the school for one day, what am I going to do? Spend two hours a day driving my kids to Belleville? At this point I’m considering it,” said Ms. Gough.

She and the bus driver immediately began making phone calls; to Tri-board Transportation, to the school bus consortium for Eastern Ontario, as well as to the Switzer-Carty dispatch office. They called PECI multiple times. When the school did not answer, Ms. Gough contacted the OPP.

Within 10 minutes, officers were at PECI along with Matthew Gough. For another hour and a half, they were unable to locate the two children. Finally, at 5:30 p.m., 2.5 hours after they had boarded the wrong bus, the two girls were returned safely to the school.

“Thankfully the OPP involved were incredible. What wasn’t incredible was the school,” Ms. Gough said.

She expected a shared level of concern and a school ready to work with her in any capacity to find her kids and get them home safe. In her view, the reception she received was just not adequate.

“A huge part of this is communication. I didn’t receive a call from teachers, support staff, the principal, anyone. I was finally able to track down the Vice Principal, Anne Brown. Only because my husband was physically there and gave me the phone. She was absolutely unapologetic, and completely rude. They did not accept any responsibility and blamed the bus company.”

The first day of school this year was also the first day for PECI’s new bus company, Switzer-Carty Transportation, contracted by the Prince Edward Hastings District School Board.

While it is understandable errors could occur on the first day of the new partnership, the Goughs say PECI is passing the buck.

“The Principal, Kim Myderwyk, and Vice Principal Brown were rude, condescending, and refused accountability. They refused to tell me what the plan was to correct this or ensure the safety of all of the children, not just mine. They essentially said ‘if you don’t leave we’ll call the police, you’re welcome to take this up with the superintendent’.”

PECI Elementary Principal Kim Myderwyk did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the Gazette. The school board, however, offered an official apology. 

PECI views the issue in a different light, according to the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB). It states the school was in constant communication with the parents, and immediately contacted the bus operator and Tri-Board Student Transportation Services. It also says PECI has conducted a full operational review to address the breakdown in the dismissal process.

“Under our standard protocol, students are dismissed in organized waves. Classroom teachers directly escort younger students to their assigned buses during the first wave, while second-wave students wait in designated, supervised areas like the cafeteria. Staff on dismissal duty carry master busing lists to cross-reference and verify students before they board,” reads the statement from the school board. 

“On the first day, PECI had significantly more staff on duty than required, including 9 educators who volunteered to assist with dismissal. Despite the extra staffing, the miswritten bus number created a breakdown in the verification process. The school has addressed this directly to ensure written directions match master lists.”

“It is unfortunate that this was a family’s experience on the first day of school. We are very sorry for this mistake and sincerely apologize to the family. 

“PECI has a caring staff who came together during a highly emotional situation. They are committed to minimizing risk, and to being as clear and transparent as possible in the future.” 

But the Goughs disagree with the assertion the school was in constant communication. They note that while the school called Tri-Board Transportation, it was the police who found the children. 

“If we were 60 days in, you might expect the kids to know the procedure. This was the first day of school. I know parents of older children, younger children, friends of children all the way up to grade 12, and this is not the first incident. You do not lose a five and six-year-old on the first day of school, period,” said Ms. Gough. 

Changes have been made to the pick-up and drop-off procedure for school buses. Buses must now line up in numerical order along Barker Street before entering the loop so pickup positions are consistent. Route numbers must also be clearly displayed on the front, sides and rear of every bus before students board.