A boy with autism’s first day of school ended with him being placed on the wrong school bus in suburban Palatine, leading to a frightening afternoon for a mom who couldn’t find him.
According to Kelly Murray-Myrum, her son Gianni, 6, was placed on the wrong bus after he got out of school.
“No parent should have to go through what I went through for that 30 minutes, not knowing where my 6-year-old was,” she said.
Kelly was waiting for Gianni to get off the bus, but when he didn’t, she quickly had to find answers.
“A couple of the little girls got off the bus I asked them where Gianni was nowhere to be found,” she said. “I asked the bus driver he said well here is a list I don’t have any names so if you want to get on the bus go ahead”
Kelly boarded the bus, only to find her son was not on it.
“All I kept thinking is you hear bad stories was did he get taken did he get off at the wrong stop and does he not know where he’s at was I ever going to see my child again,” she said.
Fortunately for Kelly and Gianni, his bookbag is specifically marked for a situation like the one he found himself in, and the bus driver whose bus he boarded was able to get him home.
Now, two weeks after the incident, Kelly says she still hasn’t gotten to the bottom of what happened.
“The school is blaming the bus company, the bus company is blaming the school,” she said. “If that was your child, how would you react?”
NBC Chicago has not received comment from Lincoln Elementary School or District 15 as of the 10 p.m. newscast.