A Connecticut mother says her 13-year-old son with autism was mistakenly taken to another city by a school van instead of being driven home during the first week of classes.
Somers McCray of New Britain told the Connecticut Post that her son Cortney didn’t come home after school ended at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. She said he had already missed the first day of school on Thursday, Aug. 28, because “he didn’t get picked up.”
Remembering a phone call with her son that Friday, McCray told WFSB, “He’s saying he’s in the car and saying he’s on his way but he’s not here.”
McCray said she called the bus company, First Student Transportation, but was told their GPS tracking wasn’t working. Using an iPhone locator, she found out her son was actually in Danbury — about 40 miles away from New Britain, according to WVIT.
Later, the school district’s transportation office contacted her and said the van would meet her at a Southington 7-Eleven. McCray picked Cortney up there. After a three-hour ride, McCray said her son ran to her and told her, “Mom, I’m so tired and I have a headache.” She added that a new bus company picked him up for the next few days without any problems.
McCray said she shared her story on social media and heard from other parents with similar experiences. “Everyone is saying how their kids got home at 7 o’clock at night,” she told WFSB. “This is a real disturbance to parents and kids at the end of the day.”
In a message to PEOPLE on Friday, Sept. 5, McCray explained further: “Everyone thinks this was a wrong bus situation, but it wasn’t. The right bus picked up my child and ended up in the wrong direction.” She said she doesn’t know why the driver went the wrong way or didn’t call dispatch. Cortney and the driver were the only ones in the van.
The incident comes as New Britain parents have complained about late pickups and drop-offs by First Student Transportation, the company hired by the city, WVIT reported.
In response, the Consolidated School District of New Britain posted a letter from First Student on Facebook on Aug. 29.
Michael Trujillo, the company’s area general manager, apologized for the “frustration and inconvenience” families have faced. He admitted their service hadn’t met expectations but said the company is working to fix the problems. Trujillo explained that delays with bus deliveries and a lack of drivers were part of the issue. To improve, the company has brought in drivers from other states, hired a new location manager, and started offering bonuses to attract more staff.
On Friday, New Britain superintendent Tony Glasper sent parents a letter updating them. He thanked families for their patience, said the district is holding First Student accountable, and noted improvements like real-time bus tracking through the Zonar system, better support lines, and more on-time pickups.
In a separate statement to PEOPLE, First Student said the driver “inadvertently took an incorrect route” that, along with heavy traffic, caused a long delay. The company confirmed the driver was removed from service for more training and apologized to McCray.
“This is not a reflection of the service that First Student is committed to providing across more than 5.5 million student rides each day,” the company said.
