LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – East Texas Montessori Prep Academy is a school for children 3-6 years of age. According to the district, on Monday afternoon, a bus picking up children from the school had mechanical issues causing a delay in drop off.
“I didn’t know where he was, where he could be, why he had not made it,” said Zakiya Stewart.
Zakiya Stewart’s son, Zailen Heath, who is 5-years-old, says something scary happened on his first day of riding the bus.
“I received a phone call at 6 o’clock asking me was he at school, did he go to school today, and was he supposed to be going to his after school program,” said Stewart.
Heath was supposed to be dropped off at Longview Martial Arts Academy for their after school program, but Monday afternoon Stewart said he didn’t make it.
“Where was he?” asked Stewart’s sister Kami Redd.
Longview ISD released a statement citing an AC mechanical failure, and said a bus transfer caused the delay.
“Rather than send the students home on this bus with no AC we decided to delay the route for a replacement bus,” Longview ISD said. “The replacement bus had temperature readings of 60, 58 and 58 degrees coming from each unit. Our mechanic verified these readings this morning.“
Stewart wants to know why no one picked up the phone and called her about the issue.
“Nobody can answer my sister when she asks what happened between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.– when he left the school and when he got to the after school program,” said Redd.
Both Stewart and her sister Redd said they have reached out to the Longview ISD transportation department, but have not heard back.
“Why can I not get the answers that I need?” asked Stewart.
Zakiya Stewart said this issue has made her and her son concerned about him riding the bus.
Find the full statement from Longview ISD below:
“Yes, there was a delay with one bus and here’s why: there was an AC mechanical failure while at the school right before the students were released, which was identified by the bus driver. The front AC unit was working but the rear unit had failed. The driver called the issue in and the transportation department sent a replacement bus. This bus transfer is what caused the bus delay. Rather than send the students home on this bus with no AC we decided to delay the route for a replacement bus. The replacement bus had temperature readings of 60, 58 and 58 degrees coming from each unit. Our mechanic verified these readings this morning.”
-Longview ISD spokesperson Francisco Rojas