2nd grader gets off at wrong bus stop, dropped off at school by stranger

Imagine your child is excited for the first day of school in a new district, and even better, their wish to ride the bus to school will be fulfilled. Perfect day, right? Until your 7-year-old is dropped off blocks away at the wrong bus stop, and a complete stranger takes them in their car, and drops them off at school.

This is exactly what happened on Monday to Marcello Manus, a second grader at Haude Elementary.

“Right now I’m still frantic and I have to calm down because I’m just afraid, I don’t know,” says Shandrea Manus, Marcello’s mother.

She tells us her other two children, who are in high school, were waiting at the bus stop to pick up their brother. Instead, the bus passed them and other parents waiting at the stop. They told their mother what happened, but by then the 7-year-old decided to get off at the next stop, blocks away from his home.

Marcello tells FOX 26 he got off the bus because he no longer saw his siblings, and he thought he could find his house. His mother tells us, a 7-year-old shouldn’t be allowed to get off a bus without an adult waiting for them at the stop. Thankfully, a good Samaritan found Marcello, and took him driving through the neighborhood to find his house. When Marcello couldn’t find the house, the driver brought him back to Haude Elementary.

Shandrea wanted to thank the person, but she said the school couldn’t even tell her who dropped off her son, which she found disturbing. “What if that wasn’t that good Samaritan that took my kid off across the United States somewhere, and he would’ve never came back home,” She tells us.

Klein ISD Issued this statement:

“Klein ISD was made aware of this incident and met with the family to discuss the matter this morning. The district has taken steps to help ensure that the student disembarks at the proper bus stop in the future. The safety of our students is always our priority in Klein ISD.”

Marcello’s mom tells us she received a call earlier today from the transportation department. She tells us they told her since her son was a new student he didn’t have a picture on file, so didn’t know who he was when he was dropped off. 

Shandrea tells us she has pulled him off the bus route, and will take him to and from school. She wanted to share her story to make sure nothing like this happens to anyone else’s child.