mickie;
how on earth would the bus driver know where to drop the kid off if they didnt pick the kid up in the morning? ESP?!!! Are bus drivers gods, that know where every kid in the school lives without ever meeting them before?
As for the 5 yr old, arent they old enough to walk to school, or cross the street? So the child wouldnt have any responsibility in knowing where they live? We need to stop taking responsibility away from kids and puttin it on others. Thats why kids are so spoiled nowadays. Theres always someone else to blame for thier messup.

If your so tired of defending your family why did mike call the Gazette in the first place. you must care what people think otherwise you wouldnt be here checking up on what people are writting. maybe you should call the Gazette and tell them to pull this article. after all it wasnt just the bus drivers fault, or the teachers, but yours as well......

WOW- most of you are CLODS for answering this the way you have!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This WAS and IS the school bus company`s fault.. This is not a teenager we are talking about- but a FIVE YR.OLD CHILD.. Heck yah- she was probably traumatized ! When the new school yr. starts out- it should be ABSOLUTELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER to say -" Hey so and so, is this your stop"? C`mon folks---- think about it!! Such a simple thing for the driver to do!
Would you pick up FIVE yr. olds and dump them off somewhere without VERIFYING...??... Of course its not grounds to take to court- but if it were my FIVE yr. old child, she was dumped off at a stop and something HORRIFIC happened --- you bet your beehind I`d make sure it NEVER, EVER happened again. C`mon, people need to QUIT passing the buck, and take responsibilty, remedy it so it never happens again..
But you people claiming a FIVE yr. old should have been able to handle it, or avoid it are complete idiots.

WANT2KNOW...you were smart on.

If you were over it, you wouldn't have made this "last" comment. If you feel you HAVE to defend yourself, that is something that you have to deal with on your own. We only feel we have to defend ourselves when we feel we may have made a mistake. You are asking us all to get over it, well, we would have never been "on it" if you didn't contact the media. I hope this is a lesson learned to ALL involved.

All of the last 10 comments that were made in the negative, you don't know what you are talking about. I am sick of having to defend our family and those of you that are so ignorant. Get over it, we have. And as for Gracie smiling, she was told to. We never said she was traumatized, only that she was bawling when she got off at the wrong spot and that she was scared to go to school for fear of it happening again. This is the last comment I am going to make.

now the truth comes out...seems some of us weren't so far off now were we!?

Now because of this my sons are on a different bus and getting home 30 mins ealier. Now I am having to pay for an after school care program that I didn't previously needed. Thanks for drawing all the attention cause now your taking money out of my pocket. Yipee

I was trying to bite my tongue about this, but has anyone else noticed that Gracie doesn't look all that upset?? I would think that if it was as traumatizing as the parents made it out to be, she would be in a state of sadness. Just my thoughts.

People shouldnt contact the media if they dont want to get criticized by the public.

When I sent my son to school on the bus for the first time we walked him to the stop, made sure he looked at the bus driver and told him where to get off. We even asked an older neighbors child to keep an eye on our son. I know if this would of happened to my child I would of been scared to death, but if my son would have gotten off at the wrong stop, because he decided he wanted to be with his buddy I wouldn't be blaming the school or the bus company. I would be blaming myself for not making sure my child was properly educated on what he needed to do. What people seem to be missing is the parents brought her to school the first day so the bus driver isn't going to be able to reconize someone they have never seen. Second she got off at a stop with her friend, so maybe she was talking to her friend and just followed her onto the bus because she was never told not all people ride the same bus. No matter how you look at it there is enough blame to go around and not only for the school/bus company but the parents and child also.

janesvillereader, right in the "rules: for posting it says:

*Do not libel anyone. Libel is writing something false about someone that damages that person's reputation.

Whether or not you know these people and what you said you think is true slamming these people and their child isn't nice.

sarah B .I dont think being deleted 4 times out of 40 is bad. most of the comments deleted were because i know these people and how they are. so when i made a small comment about how the birth mother is with her child is why i was deleted..

I just found out today from a school bus driver that Gracie got on the wrong bus with a girl friend. thats why she ended up in the trailer park.so the parents shouldnt be blame the bus driver or the school for what happened.

optimism...I am with you - Gracie's parents should have gone about this differently, if not for themselves, but for Gracie. For those of you that think my comments were BLAMING GRACIE, you are incorrect. I was simply pointing out my experiences with her and that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, all the blame shouldn't be placed on the school/bus company. For example, as others have said, her parents need to take some responsibility for this incident as well. Take the opportunity to better inform your kids of bus safety, knowing where they live and recognizing what your house and surroundings look like, and how important it is to listen to elders, etc.

Janesvillereader: Wow! You've had a lot of comments deleted by the Gazette.

Gracies Father...quite honestly, I think that you should have addressed the people involved only, and left the media out of it. You have exploited people that I am certain would have made things right with you all between you. You didn't need to "bring to light" anything with the gazette. That was nonsense, and you know it. Also, you may not be sue happy people as you say, but no one ever is until the "stumble" upon an opportunity. I wish that you would take as much blame for what happened as the other people involved. AS YOU HAVE SAID SHE IS ONLY 5!! Probably SHOULDN'T have been let go on the bus all by herself and expected everything would be taken care of. You should have prepped her....so as far as I am concerned, you are just as much to blame, and by bringing this to the media, you now have to face that realization!

Gracie's Father, very well said! I'm glad things are getting better. As a teacher I know that the parents of bus riders are always scared of something happening like this. Personally I like being able to put each of my kids on their buses so I know they are on the right bus. I drive home some nights praying they are dropped off in the right spot by their driver but at least I know I put them on the right bus. Backpack tags to match the color coded or shape window signs for the bus are very important. The first few days or even weeks are very hectic but with extra help with the littlest bus riders things get better. Have a great year in Kindergarten Gracie! It's the funniest grade!

Some may think that this was blown up bigger than it should have been, others may not. Ther are some that are saying this happen to therselves or someone thay know. I (Gracies father) decided that this was something that needed to be addressed. When I first heard of what had happened I was at work. Many thoughts went through my head, on how to deal with the situation. Calling the Gazette was much better than the other ones, alot of my relatives are teachers. No one person is to blame, Jackson school has worked hard to change ther system, I personely can say I'm pleased. Not only Jackson school, but pretty sure most schools in the area looked at how bus boarding is done. Hopefully we have all leard more from this, than just how to type. This story may have offended some and we are sorry. We are not jugemental peopole, It don't matter where Gracie was droped off, it was not at the right place. Thank you for all of the supportive coments, we will and have got over this... To those that only have negative remarks thank you... Your the ones that remide us why we need to show our kids how to be the bigger person.

It's so sad that this happened to Gracie. Everyone can appreciate how traumatic this must have been for her. Having taught at Jackson School and knowing the staff there, I know that this was the last thing they wanted to happen to any child, and they try hard to make sure each child lines up in the right line. The only good thing to come out of this is that changes will be made, and people have offered some good suggestions. Hurtful comments don't solve the problem. We all hope Gracie and her family will recover soon from this unfortunate accident. Have a good school year, Gracie!

Riding a bus,city or school,is scary and hard for any child.I dont care what age they are. Little ones need constant direction and older ones,well,hope you have a friend! This is in no way Gracie's fault! She is so young! Poor thing. Hope she is getting over it!

As a parent, I can't imagine how scared I'd be. I'm glad this turned out alright. To Gracie's parents: thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention. I'm glad your little girl is safe. Congratulations & good luck with your pregnancy!!!

want2knowmore: if you are almost positive I don't know who you are, then why do you think you know Gracie so well? A lawsuit NEVER entered our mind. We are not sue happy people, and if you knew us (rather than just judging from a couple pictures) you would know that. bn1957: her second day was better. She got off at the right spot (my husband was hiding on the bus to make sure everything was ok) and I am hoping today will go the same. Thank you for everyone's PLEASANT AND SUPPORTING comments. Want2knowmore: it is your comments that keep dragging this out. YOU need to let it go.

*Everyone placing blame on Gracie needs to back off. SHE IS 5!! She *

When a story hits the news, people will think things. Just imagine the ridiculous stuff they are thinking but NOT posting.

At the age of 5, I didn't take the bus to school [walked...by myself] but I can imagine it's pretty confusing. I did, however, know what my neighborhood looked like...are the subdivisions similiar in appearance or something? Why didn't she have her address on anything with her?

gonemadetown: very well said! Again, point being, EVERYONE INVOLVED has to take some blame here. As for a lawsuit being brought up, I feared that from day one, and still do. The looks on the Ford's faces, the comments made, the video footage at their home, etc. Thank you for sharing the information on footage for Bus Safety. That is a wonderful idea to prepare your child for riding the bus! Kudos to whoever had that idea. As for parentsofgracie...I am almost positive you don't know who I am. Your point has been made in the media, Gracie is already bouncing back, the school has implemented new procedures, NOW LET IT GO. Move on and quit working yourself AND Gracie up again.

Everybody has plenty of suggestions as to how do "fix" it so it don't happen again. Color coding the bus and such don't work when you have different buses in the morning then in the afternoon for one thing which at this school is the case.... 2nd Van Galder runs lots of routes and charters, buses get shifted for such things and its not always the same bus for a driver, plus buses break down. You can't rely on having the same driver because drivers do get sick, charters and such cause subs. You all think you can do a better job, go down and apply. See what it is like. Learn 72 faces and names (thats how many rockvale kids are on the route from Jackson)just in the few seconds the kids walk past you. For those of you who have cable I invite you to go into your ON DEMAND. In the kids section there is a free video about school bus safety. Have your child sit down and watch it. Teach your kids before they get on the bus to talk to the driver, how to behave on the bus, and rules for riding. When putting your kid on the bus at the pick up point, give them a land mark to watch for so they know when it is time to get off the bus. Also tell them to ask the driver if they don't see something that they recognize. For those of you so quick to blame... there are around 200 kids at this school getting on a number of buses. It is easy for one kid to see someone they know in line and follow the wrong line. Chances are this kid was in wrong line before the bus driver ever got her. With 72 new faces and no list of names, How would you know????? If your concerned go down and apply. I challenge you. Just know that 1 in 10 that apply for this position are legally able to drive. These are just a few of the challenges drivers face. We are leaving out bad behavior from kids, wrong information from parents on the sheets we do get for some children, out dated infromation given, trying to keep a time schedule as required by law. The blame goes to a lot of different places. We also need to use some logic. No one system is flawless. The schools, the drivers and the teachers do a pretty good job getting kids where they need to be. This is a fairly good size district and there are lots that need assistants getting where they need to be.

I wish the thought wasn't put in the parents mind to sue! I can see it coming now.....

Besides having color coded or shape bus tags to identify students the other thing that would be helpful is more volunteers helping at dismissal time. This could mean pairing up a kindergartener with a 5th grader who rides the same bus or parents or retired citizens coming in and helping at dismissal time. In our school we use every available staff member to help the first few weeks of school. If anyone has been at their child's school at dismissal time they would see how caotic it is. Children are going bonkers after being in school all day and teachers are trying to round up 20+ children. A typical teacher may have 12 or more students to get out to 10 different buses lined up. It's a nightmare! The littlest students are scared and won't say anything if they are pushed along and get on the wrong bus. I hope what comes out of this is more brainstorming of ideas on how to help schools insure these types of incidents don't happen. By the way, how was Gracie's next day of school? Little children are very resilient and I hope she is doing better!

jvlborn- If Gracie had been hurt, molested, or dumped in the country, I certainly HOPE they would file suit. There ARE measures needed for the first week to ensure these tiny children some of whom may not yet know their phone number, get home safely until it becomes routine

This type of reporting helps the public know when there is a safety issue due to negligence on the school/bus company. What, you think THEY are going to admit it? Also, this will help form a record for any parents in the future should any more kids get neglected in this matter.

PS- to ALL Gracies parents..bio, step, yadda yadda.. she is a very SWEET and cute little girl. And kudos to ALL of you for being right there when your baby needed you... how refreshing to read about good parents!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Gracie's mom, dad and stepmom for not filing a lawsuit. A bad situation, indeed, but what a terrific example to your daughter that bad things can happen and she is strong enough to bounce back unscathed, end of story. Kudos to all of you and best wishes for a great school year for Gracie.

To the parents of Gracie,
We went through a very similar situation 2 years ago, in Edgerton where we live. On the seond day of school, our 7 year old, was dropped off 2 miles from our home. She was found unharmed walking along highway 59, near I-90, by a man driving by. Our daughter was afraid for the first few week, but after a while she became braver. When we made people aware in our community of what happened, we never put sole blame on the school, or bus, we realized that our daughter was partially at fault. However at the time she was 7 years old, and could not be expected to make adult decisions. We went through much of the same things you are going through. We had numerous people who supported us 100%, then there were others who blamed us as parents. I am not sure what we could have done diffrent, other then put her on the bus after school, and follow the bus to our home. I am glad that Gracie was found safe and unharmed. The good thing is kids are very resilient.
j & b

I am sorry to hear that they didn't take responsibility. I seemed to understand that they did. I am also glad to hear that you aren't planning on filing suit. I think making other families are aware that there is an issue is good, then. And, if Van Galder tried to brush it on to others, I would be upset, too. Glad today was better for her.

ladulce: we are not planning on filing a lawsuit. We aren't the kind of people that would do that. We just wanted the problem recognized. The bus driver I am sure did NOT get fired, considering my conversation with Van Galder. They did anything but accept responsibility for the incident. They wanted to push it off on the school and whomever loaded the children. And as for the picture I was a little surprised by it. Her dad and I both smiled for the picture, but he took probably 40 right in a row, and I am sure picked the one we weren't smiling in to use to fit the story.

It is too bad that this happened. I hope that the contacting of the gazette wasn't with the intention of later filing a lawsuit, though, I think it probably was. People are so sue happy now! And, really, Van Galder is obviously wrong and to blame for this, but, we all make mistakes, and, this child is NOT going to suffer long-term trauma from this. They apologized, admitted their wrong doing. I assume the driver of the bus may have already lost his job. I am sure he feels badly about it. She is a cute little girl. The picture with the angry looking parents behind the mischievously smiling little angel is obviously played up for readers.

I personally thank you for bringing attention to the story - look at how often this happens, I dont' think people realize this is as common of a problem! I don't have children, but neices and nephews in school, and you just assume that the school and bus officials are doing their part to keep your children safe, when apparently there's plenty of room for improvement. You can't fix what's not broken; you can't imrove a situation if you don't know it's faulty.

The school has changed how they do the buses now, so out of all of this some good has come. The kids all have color coded cards. We have let the whole thing just blow over now, we are not making any bigger of a commotion over it. And for Want2Knowmore: I am pretty sure I know who you are and would you want what happened to Gracie to happen to your child?

want2knowmore: You really need to stop commenting. NBC 15 contacted my husband and wanted footage. They did not just want the same thing that you could read in the Gazette. WE NEVER said she was traumatized. It was very upsetting for her. Enough so that my husband had to ride the bus with her today. She didn't want to exit the bus when they arrived at school, for fear she was in the wrong place again. She was better on the way home, and I am sure she will be fine tomorrow. Back off.

hannah: I said we contacted the Gazette, we did NOT contact NBC 15

I also live in Janesville but my children are in the Milton School District. I had a similar event happen to our family. My 6 year old daughter is in 1st grade and she was put on the wrong bus (despite the tag I had hanging from her backpack) and was dropped off at the bus driver's last stop, leaving her to walk to her babysitter's house. Luckily a 3rd grade boy, who also goes to the same house for childcare after school, was also on the wrong bus and was with her to walk the remainder of the way since they recognized where they were. Thankfully, everybody got to where they needed to be safely. It's a very scary situation and I hope the systems used by both our school districts' bus companies can be improved so other children don't have similar issues. I can also tell you that on my daughter's 2nd day of school, the teacher called me to confirm which bus to put her on as they were boarding the buses to make sure it didn't happen again.

Just so you know, I had a story in the Gazette, and people told me it was on the 5 o'clock news. I was never contacted, nothing. Apparently, the television folks pulled the story off the Gazette website. Didn't even contact me.
So before you get all up in arms about semantics...think.
Who even cares?
The story broke. You wouldn't have anything to comment (or complain about) if it didn't. Think about THAT.

If NBC15 did contact you, not the other way around, why wouldn't you just answer questions, etc. over the phone and not invite them to your home and do this whole "the school screwed up and it's all their fault" routine if Gracie was so "traumatized?" Contact the school, let them know your concerns, work with them on ideas to improve, talk to Gracie about her responsibilities and the importance of listening to adults and paying attention regardless if friends are around, AND LET IT BE. Let Gracie move on and everyone else. The more you talk about it and drag it on and on, the more she will be upset about it.

First of all I am a little offended that i was referred to as "the birth Mother" and people have been making comments and asking me why Gracie's dad has her all the time. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am Gracie's MOM and am in her life everyday. I also was there dropping her off at school that morning. Gracie has been excited about her first day and riding home on the bus since summer started. This was a devasting thing to happen to her but yes she will be fine. Her parents did call the gazette not because we wanted to be all over the news and on tv but because we wanted other parents to be aware! We don't know exactly what happened between the time that she was in line to the time that she was dropped off 5 miles from home but i do believe that even if Gracie wasn't listening or got on the wrong bus because her friends were on there the BUS DRIVER should have realized he had more children then his or her list said! And he should have known what kids he was dropping off and where. Thankfully Gracie got off at a stop where she knew someone or where would she be now? We don't know and thankfully will never have to worry about that. I cant believe some of the comments on this page about a 5yr old little girl! Thanku for all the heart warming comments.

I'm glad your daughter is well and no harm came to her. She must have been very frightened. How anyone could blame a 5 year old for this is beyond me. Obviously the school's and bus company's procedures need review and refinement to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future and I think it needs to be looked at in this light. No systems are flawless and none work perfectly 100% of the time so it's important that when failures occur they are carefully analyzed and solutions are developed to improve them. Good luck to your daughter. I hope she has a good year in school.

Want2knowmore: I am not sure who you are, or what interactions you have had with her listening skills, but she does listen to adults in charge. She may not always listen to us, her parents, but what child does? My husband did contact the gazette, because we were upset this happened. As for Gracie getting off the bus with the little girl for all who are commenting on this, when I talked to Van Galder right after I found out where she was, the lady told me at Rockvale they ALL get out at the same spot. The whole bus is unloaded, not just a couple of children. Another little girl in our subdivision also almost was put on the wrong bus, however a neighbor girl recognized her and told the teacher that she was in the wrong line. Everyone placing blame on Gracie needs to back off. SHE IS 5!! She wasn't sure which line to go in, and she has said no one told her either. And as for being on the news, I am not sure how they heard of the story, but we never contacted them. They probably just figured that people needed to know about what happened to perhaps prevent it from happening again.

mymaro..that schedule was sent out by the school district not Van Galder. The school district provides them the info on how many kids and at what address. The routes have not changed to much in the last few decades

Check out Momof5's post on 9/3/08 11:59 p.m.
Her school uses colors and animal shapes. Superb idea!

why dont they color code the kids with the bus like one bus has yellow and give the kid a yellow pass for the year that way there is no mistake if the child tries to get on the wrong bus they will not be able to do so and then will be put on the right bus

Woulda, coulda, shoulda...now people are using terms like "traumatized" and harping about "what ifs". Get a grip and look at her pic. She doesn't look like a quivering scarred-for-life basket case. From her big cheesy grin and bright shiny eyes, she's enjoying the attention and getting her pic taken.
The bus service and school authorities have apologized and are updating their policies and procedures. What more do you want?
The off-the-wall blamestorming is getting stale.

I am not blaming the bus driver but why didn't he stay. The girl obviously knew once she got to the trailer court she was in the wrong place. My step son got on the wrong bus his first day of kindergarten too and the bus driver took him back to the school and called his grandma and the police took him to his grandmas house. He was scared for a couple min but then excited because he got to ride in the cop car! HA

Good Point! How did the gazette EVEN find OUT about this???????

Also something I just noticed from the article is that the parents dropped the child off in the morning and she rode the bus home. Maybe the parents could have put her on the bus in the morning so she could see who her bus driver was and drove to school and watch her get off it and walked her into the school if they wanted to be there for her first day. Thats what we did with our children.

I'm just curious how the Gazette got this story and published it the next morning. If Gracie was so traumatized, why are you letting reporters and photographers into your home the same night that it happened?

sorry...good question. That is what I was trying to get at. On the interview for NBC15, the "birth mother" even said that she got off the bus with her friend's kids. I think this answer most of our questions!

Doesn't anyone find it odd the bus she accidently got on was the one her freind rides? Is it possible the girl was talking to her freind and just got up when she did and followed her. It might explain how and why this happened, especially on the first day with all the bus drivers having a lot of new riders.

llovehockey...I am not blaming Gracie, I am simply trying to make a point that EVERYONE involved needs to take responsibility. Come on people, you can see where this is headed. First the picture and article in the paper and then interviewed on Channel 15. MOVE ON PEOPLE

Parents of bus riders:
Just a heads up wait until winter when it is snow pants/winter coat and glove time and the teachers will not give the younger ones enough time to find their stuff and get changed, the bus will keep on schedule...HAVE A PLAN B OR EVEN C DO NOT BLAME VAN GALDER.

Wanttoknowmore, why on earth would you blame a 5 year old for this. To insinuate that this little girl is responsible because of her attitude is ridiculous, she's 5! That's really low!

The whole point of this article is to point out that there is an issue with the procedures that the buses use. Hopefully this will be a lesson learned and everyone can move on. I know, because this happened with my son 14 years ago with his daycare when kindergarten was only 1/2 days. He ended up walking home. He was fine the next day, I wasn't. But, you better believe the daycare never had another issue with it.

OK, it was gonemadtown. "It begins at home" I couldn't agree more!

parentsofgracie....I feel for you, really. I am sure this was a scary situation for you and Gracie. However, I have had a few interactions with Gracie. She can be a very nice little girl. But she, as all children do, has a mind of her own. When asked to do something or where to go, she replies "WHY" and you tell her why and she repeats "WHY" and when you tell her again, she yells "NO" and walks away. Again, the adults should have stepped up and demanded she stay where she was suppose to be, but come on, let's not place all the blame on others! AND, let's not try and make this more than it really is for gods sake. I can't remember who it was off hand, but someone else commented on preparing your children, etc. I would still like to know if Gracie got off the bus with a friend, the son/daughter of the "birth mother's" friend that found her?

TRAILER TRASH? I guess I missed that being mentioned in the comments. Why on earth would anyone say that in this article. Trailers are very efficient for the person who doesn't want to live in an apartment yet doesn't want or need the space of a house. It isn't the trailer that creates the "trash" it is the people who reside in it... and there are trashy people in houses, apartments, mansions and on the street. Granted there are a few "courts" that are considered trashy because of the loser residents, but just by association that doesn't equate all residents are trash. NOW STOP being so shallow!! I bet if any one of you who mentioned trailer trash lost EVERYTHING you owned tomorrow and someone offered you a trailer you would be more than eagar to live in it.

It's not just public schools that have this issue. My child was dropped off by her daycare provider before there was adult supervision at her school. It's not until 8:05 AM that the teachers aids come out to supervise children in the morning. I believe the children can't go into the school before 8:15. My child was dropped off at 7:55 as a 5 year old kindergartner. The only reason we even found out is because she was playing and was injured. The janitor just happened to be walking by outside and noticed her crying. The school called us right away to let us know that she was being dropped off before time. I actually had the opposite response from our daycare provider than what Jackson's principal had. The basically shrugged it off and said that her school must have recently changed the drop off time. They also said they had to be sure to get the other kids to their schools on time. I have never been so upset in my life. My daughter at the time didn't know to question adults. That incident taught all of us a lesson. I just don't understand how an adult can live with themselves knowing they dropped off a 5 year old unattended?

mistake or no mistake this is a child not a pizza!!!

A mistake - and a simple solution - name tags with bus numbers pinned on the kids. It works !

If something like this happens once ok chalk it up to a mistake by whomever...but it's looking like this has happened more than once and God only knows how many more times that no one knows about. The bus company better wake up and figure out how to keep these kids safe, on the right bus and dropped off where they're supposed to be before a kid goes missing or worse.

The narrow minds of Janesville speak up again. The story is about a little girl getting on the wrong bus at school. Exactly what does that have to do with trailer parks? The signs on the outside of town should read "city of snobs". I cannot believe the number of small, petty people there are in Janesville. Just think how nice Janesville could be if everyone wasn't so judgmental. Get over yourselves. I guess maybe the Gazette should only do stories about people living on the east side in their fancy overpriced homes in Wuthering Hills. It seems like those are the only people that matter.

I admit, I didn't take the time to read all of the other posts, but how about something as basic as color coding the buses?? "Suzie, get on the bus with the GREEN label in the window"...what do you think? Or do buses still have numbers on them? Can children be given a boarding pass with the number of the bus they are to ride? Just my two cents...

There are certin people we trust with our kids and one of them is our schools systems. This poor little girl was left stranded miles away from home on her first day of school and all the school can say is sorry. They need to say more and do more for this poor little girl. What if this one incident affects her for her whole life. Good luck to this little girl and her family.

People also look down on people living in trailers. I live in one and I am happy. At least I am not living in a apartment wasting me money on rent. Well i do in lot rent but its much cheaper than an apartment these days.Trailer trash? What is trailer trash? Yes its not the subject but it is a topic. I am happy to hear Gracie is ok and back with her parents. I have a son that also goes to school at Jackson. I hope they change their procedures quickly!

When I went to Kindergarten 25 years ago!!! We all wore cards shaped like apples that were pinned to our shirts with our name and the bus number on it. This isn't a new idea, just needs to be implemented.

I think that if Gracie would have rode the bus to school in the first place that would have helped.
The parents could have met her there. I know the first day of school is very important to both the child and the parent. I met my youngest one at school the first day. That really helped her remember her bus. Plus the school had the drivers with a clipboard with all the riders names and addresses on it. So they knew who they had on there bus. Lets hope this never happens again to any child that has to ride the bus to school. God bless Gracie and her parents!

This is probably more common than you think. When I was in kindergarten in the 80's, I was dropped off at the wrong place. I was on the right bus, but the bus driver told me to get off on the opposite side of town. There was another girl with the same first name who was supposed to get off. I got off because the adult in charge told me to. I was petrified, but luckily a nice mom saved the day! I had that same bus driver for years after that. He felt terrible and spent the next ten years making it up to me. I know how this little girl feels and I'm glad she is home safely.

Ouch! What's wrong with living in a trailer park? My wife's grandmother lives in a trailer park and she is a very nice lady. Now, what about some of the negative attitudes expressed towards special needs students? These kids are human beings and have just as much right to be on this earth as anyone else. The attitude that they are somehow inferior human beings perpetrates the stigma that is so casually applied to them.

The first few weeks of school for a young child is scary enough then to add to it getting on the wrong bus and being dropped off is sad. Gracie will bounce back! It takes a while for kids to learn their bus # and driver. At my school we use the tags on the backpacks with symbols corresponding to the buses; even then we have mix ups (kids going with friends, a different bus driver...). The teachers at my school walk the children to their buses (grades 4K, 5K and 1st grade) and show them to the bus driver and double check that they are getting on the right bus. We do this for the first month, then we have the kids show us their bus and when we are confident that they know their bus we let them out 1 bus at a time and watch them get to their bus. Let me to tell you it's a nightmare the first few weeks of school; you tell the children a hundred times "stay here" so they aren't running around or getting mixed up with the walkers or car riders. You color code their hands (yellow for bus riders, green for walkers...) and yet a few will always be oblivious to warnings that if they don't stay in their spot they will get lost. It does get better! Good luck in school Gracie; you'll be fine!

This happened to my niece some years ago, and it took over an hour to find her. Scary at the time, but after some hugs and an "alright, jump back in the saddle now" attitude from family, a few nervous days getting on the bus again, she was fine! She has been successfully taking the bus for the last ten years! Good luck to Gracie; I know she'll be just fine in no time! :)

I am also glad that Gracie is ok. I was very upset to find out that the bus driver got no reprimand from work but then again it is Van Galder. For the first week of school I feel that ALL bus drivers should check which kids are on the bus and check to make sure they get off at the correct stop. Now I understand that by doing this the drivers wont get home until late, OH WELL. We all have to do stuff we don't like at our jobs but when it come to child safety noting else should matter. Give big hugs to gracie for me. P.S I told her mom about luggage tags in case you can't find anything else.

Gracies parents are wonderful, caring parents. Why should we be looking at a child any different even if they DID live in a trailer park? ( which they dont ) I know several school districts that use the colored animal system as well. The bus posts the same matching colored animal in their window . All at a cost of , what 20.00?? Maybe they can't fit that in their budget??

This was an unfortunate accident, but I'm sure Gracie will bounce back from it. It truly does happen here and there because well, accidents do happen to even the most protective of people. I too don't understand why the bus driver let the girl off in the first place. My principal may be very specific when it comes to the buses, especially on the first day, but we rarely have an issue (it's not Janesville Schools). The kindergarteners have bus tags on their backpacks, we have a bus list for our class for where they go each day (some kids go to different places each day!) and on the first day, EVERY child has a colored piece of paper representing their bus (the buses have a color and not a number) and the kindergarteners get on first before the other grades. There is always at least one kid that gets mixed up, but it's always checked and I know that the drivers do NOT let them off where they are not listed and need a slip if they go somewhere different. Yes, the teachers should have been a bit more aware, but go visit a school during pick-up time the first week of school, it's hectic and even the parents have to be trained what to do- you can't just go wherever and whenever these days.

to parentsofgracie, I am very thankful that your daughter is okay. I am close to understanding how you feel. We had a bus misunderstanding on my daughter's 1st day of early childhood many years ago. (and I never got even an apology from the school district or VanGalder) It was extremely scary to go through. I was grateful to find someone to pick her up until I could get my hours changed at work. I can guarantee you now that your daughter will arrive home safely. You can bet the school district on that now! Best wishes. By the way, ignore the people who do not understand what it is like to have such a nightmare to happen.

Pwrtrip you have you're head where it doesn't belong shame on you .

PARENTSTOGRACIE...you have to remember how many different personalities there are on these blogs. Use YOUR best judgement, and handle this situation the way you see fit. You are her protectors and no one on here is responsible for her well being. Van Galder does have a habit of blaming things on the other guy, I can understand a little bit of why, they do get a lot of irrate parents calling them all the time because little Johny (who happens to be a gang banger) was told to sit up front "for no apparent" reason. So, even though it isn't right, they get callous I think to situations. The school learned a valuable lesson, and hopefully no other family will suffer from this again. Accidents do happen, and let's just thank the Lord that she was found safe (obviously she was being watched out for) and move on....stressing the fear of what happen will only prolong Gracie's getting over this. We are all human, and I do believe that who ever was on bus duties is going over a pretty long list of what if's, and is feeling terrible about what happened. God Bless your family.

Glad she is okay. As someone previous said, "Welcome to your first day in the Janesville School District." I've yet to see an "outstanding" one. I live in Beloit and received a call yesterday from a lady with one of the elementary schools letting me know my daughter was marked absent yesterday. My daughter is not even enrolled/registered there. Who knows where these people get their information from! She goes to school in Illinois.

Hang in there Parents of Gracie....I am glad she is safe, Some of the rude comments that are made are by ppl that must have issues them selves Look at this way on a brighter note she will have a great story to tell her kids on there 1st day of school...

Pwrtrip: Also it is apparent that you do not have children or you would have thought this article was anything but funny. If something had happened to her, would you still view it as funny? You need to think before you write.

To Pwrtrip: How dare you. That was an incredibly rude comment.

Praise God that Gracie is home! I do not have children, but my niece is in her second week of kindergarten. If that would have happened to her, I would be irrate! I cannot imagine the fear in the parents! Again, praise God that Gracie is home!

First of all, we are the parents of Gracie. Thank you for all who have commented in our favor. Gracie does know where she lives, but was just scared and confused. She is only 5 years old. We live in Janesville in a subdivision (not a trailor park) and Gracie was dropped off practically in Beloit. You have no idea how scary it is to not know where your child is. We are very thankful that she ended up with someone she knew and not in the wrong hands. To wanttoknowmore our child is not one of those children that doesn't listen and does what she wants. She is a good kid. We are not placing all the blame with the school district. We do appreciate that everyone involved has been apologetic. However, that does not make the situation better. The school district seems to be taking most of the blame, but we also feel Van Galder needs to step up to the plate. True, Gracie shouldn't have ended up on the wrong bus, but how could the bus driver let a 5 year old off the bus without knowing for sure she is in the right place? When I contacted Van Galder they seemed to want to push the blame elsewhere. To add as a side note, I am also 8 months pregnant and this is a stress I did not need. I noticed that when the kids were getting off the bus in our subdivision the driver was checking names off a list. Why didn't this bus driver that let Gracie off do that?

ss, i agree, help the girl move on, give some comfort, then leave it alone. It may seem hardcore to some parents, but to many teenagers are not ready for the real world when they go into college, or the work force, its our job as parents to teach our children to be self sufficient and responsible adults, to much coddling go's on, I understand parents only want to love and protect their children, but its taken to far.

Yes, I am sure everyone was in a panic but it happens. I would make sure she gets a kiss and get her back on the bus in the morning. And I am sure the school will be more careful to get her home safely in the future. The parents just need to spend a little time getting her over it. No major trauma unless you make it into more.

P.S. to NO, birthmother is a respectful term used to distinguish the woman who carried a child and gave birth from the Mom who is the parent and raises the child in a forever family. They are not the same.

Steve, it's just you. There were two boys in red shirts for the twins article. This is one girl in blue.

It is just me, or is this the same picture that was with the article about the twins who were seperated into different classrooms?

Yes I agree, all kids should have their bus number handy for at least the first 2 weeks and use the number or for little ones who have a hard time reading, a specific animal and have that animal picture on the bus by the door. Something so simple could save a lot of hassle!!
I remember even in junior high having to remember the locker number and combination and we all had to write that down for the first month or so..

Here comes a lawsuit...

My Kids ride the bus to go to Evansville and the buses have animals in the window and when they were younger the teachers walked them out with a note pad to tell them what bus to go to the first few weeks of school.

So they dropped her off at the wrong trailer park?

When my son started school, we were encouraged to have the kids ride both to and from the school the first day. That way the kids knew who the bus driver was that would take them back home and the bus driver knew where the kids belonged. They also got a card to match them up with the bus number. If you wanted to meet your kids and walk them to the classroom you were more than welcome too!

It happens every year at one school or another. Does she look like she is going to suffer trauma for the rest of her life.

The kid IS safe,no foul play,just a mistake,all the rest of the comments are just putting more salt in the wound. Let the parents get over it,they WILL correct the problem. Drive the little girl,to and from school,for awhile. The young heal fairly fast.

Everyone is so quick to place blame on this situation! There are a number of factors that go into play when loading the buses. The driver's do not know any of these children. Half of the kids on our list aren't suppose to be and the other half are suppose to be on our lists and are not. Unfortunately, mix ups do happen. This child was not prepared either. She could have been told not to follow other children, to tell the bus driver this isn't where she lived, etc. I also have a kindergartner and this is possible to prepare them for most things. It's more then the schools and the drivers error. It begins at home. WE ARE ALL AT FAULT!!!!!!!!

"Birth mother"? Why won't the word "mother", all by itself do the job?

It's also astounding that the children don't have their addresses or bus numbers or some sort of information handy on their persons. Everyone seems at fault here.

This happened to my son 2 yrs ago. We are in the Brodhead school district though. After giving the drop off address to the school the day before, verifying again the morning of, and being CALLED by the school to double check, they still managed to put our 5 yr old on a bus home.
He was supposed to go to his grandparent’s house. He also told the bus driver he was supposed to go to his Grandpa’s house but he was told to get off. We live on a busy highway and our driveway is about 200 yards away. Fortunately, our neighbor found him outside and took care of him, not knowing there was someone home. But when we got a call from a worried Grandpa looking for our son and the school hemmed and hawed about where he was and refused to tell us where the bus depot was so my husband could go talk to the bus driver…No thanks! The superintendent was at the school the next morning for a ‘meeting’. They’ve never made that mistake again. How scary for both child and parents. To have the school LOOSE your child.

I thought the kindergarteners would at least get taken to the bus and put on the right one by someone at the school.....so much for thinking.

My daughter was a kindergartner at Van Buren, because no one paid any attention there and there was a mixup with her pick up she decided to try to walk to daycare.....she got scared turned around and decided to walk home. She nearly got hit by a several cars as she was attempting to cross Center Avenue. So I know how these people feel. Thankfully not only did my daughter finally get home safe but so did Gracie....at least God is watching over them.

Welcome to your first day in the Janesville School District.. Just so you know, it won't get much better from here...

But optimism...it's their JOB to keep an eye on them at all times and to make sure they get where they are supposed to. We as parents rely on this. We relax each day knowing professionals are caring for and teaching our children. I do believe this was an unfortunate mistake but I agree with the statement you made about excited little kids being difficult to keep track of. Which is WHY this is an unfortunate mistake. Something worse could have occurred. And in no way does anyone posting her imply that it was intentional. It was accidental but shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Momof5 - Excellent idea! Colors and animals are much easier to memorize for kiddies. It also makes it a snap for administrators, teachers and bus drivers to tell at a glance if someone is in the wrong line or on the wrong bus.

From the looks of Gracie's big bright smile, she doesn't seem too worse the wear after her adventure.

Good Grief, YES! We all would be terrified if this were our child, but mistakes are made, and seriously, unless any of you have whitnessed personally how hard it is to keep a group of forty something five year old's attention....you have no idea how easy this could happen. It sounds to me that most on here are saying that this was intentional. Come on, does logic tell you that is really true? Our school does have the 4 and 5K students wear a necklace with there bus number, name and address on it. That is a very efficient way to eliminate confusion. That was put into place because of things like this, little excited kids are hard to keep track of at all times.

"Eichman said this has never happened in the seven years he has been on the job."

Unfortunately this is untrue. It happened just last spring when an employee of mine decided to stop driving all over and started using the bus to transport her child back home. She takes her child to school on her way to work. It was a difficult decision for her, but she gave it a go. After a few days of riding the bus, her child boarded the correct bus, but was dropped off several streets away from their home in their subdivision. The mother watched from her home as the bus stopped nearby and drove away, and her child did not get off. She walked a bit around the subdivision and found that her child had been told to get off earlier in the route. It was most likely only minutes of her being "out of sight" but this child was 5 and should not be walking that distance alone. She got off because an adult, the bus driver, told her to. My employee then frantically tried to get ahold of someone, left messages with both Steve E. and Nancy S. Although they were sorry it happened, my employee was told to "calm down". And that it wasn't such a great distance to be overly concerned. I am sure that these instances are rare, but think of what could have happened to either of those children had someone not been paying attention.

She now rides the bus each day on the way home, but the mother had a conversation with the child. Tell your children to be aware of where you are. Be aware of where you live. And make sure, that even though they are adults, speak up when you feel something is wrong. This situation was different, but this is something all parents should talk to their children about. Even if they DON'T ride the bus. Michael and Jessica, I hope that your daughter remembers her day at school before the bus, because I am sure she had a great time! And yes, eventually she'll use it as a story instead of a worry. Big hugs Gracie!

For those of you second guessing the actions of a five year old girl, I'd like to point out that she is five years old girl. It's nice to know that you, as an adult of sound mind and body, would have done something different. However, look at it from the perspective of a young child. Not all of the "easy" or "correct" decisions are so apparent when you're a child. Without a previous experience or expectations to base her decisions on, we're lucky it ended as well as it did. Children are not just "little adults". Their development, both physical and mental, is incomplete. Given time and a bit of luck, this will be a life lesson for her. Just one of those experiences that lead to a stronger person. It's hard to see that now, I'm sure, but the fear and terror felt will fade. For now though, lots of hugs are in order.

My son is riding the bus for the first time this year. What our district does is assign each bus a color and name (purple squirrel, blue dog, etc..,). Each child is then given a laminated "purple squirrel" on a piece of yarn. The teachers keep them in the classroom and the kids put them on during their end of day activities. Each bus then has the corresponding colored animal on it's window. It is nearly a failproof way of doing things.

This is to Gracie's parents: Almost the exact same scenario happened to me on my very first day of school some 40 years ago. The only difference is that I missed my ride completely and walked two miles home. As I remember it, the event was more upsetting to my mom and a friend's mom than to me. I am writing this to let you know that your child will, hopefully, recover from this terrible mistake and discover all the wonderful things that await her as she continues with her schooling. It sounds like the school system truly regrets what happened and is working to correct the loophole. Good luck to all the students and parents this new year.

This actually happened to me on my first day of first grade, but luckily I figured out the problem before my teachers did! My bus let out at Janesville Consolidated and I got lined up with the other first graders...only I was supposed to go to school at Milton West. I spoke up before the shuttle bus left when I realized the line was taking me to the wrong school. I started kindergarten when I was four, so while I had a year of school "under my belt" already, I was the same age as this girl. Yes, it never should have happened, and yes, the school district really needs to prevent it from happening, but this is a good chance for parents to help their children to learn to speak up. Sometimes adults make mistakes, and had she known her address or phone number and told the bus driver she didn't live here, this problem could have been solved even faster.

ap2533jvl: Reread the article the district accepted full responsibility for what happened. You should NOT be getting more out of it than that. They did not pin this on anyone else but themselves.

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the_rude_1: Mistakes happen, it is very unfortunate but they will always happen.

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Bluebirds66: GREAT IDEA! Maybe your idea could get passed along to JSD.

In Delavan the kids have a plastic card with their bus# printed on it that the teacher attaches to their backpacks. I know for a fact that yesterday they spent close to 30 minutes after school ended making sure that all the kids were on the right buses.

First f all I want to say what an awaful thing that was to happen on the first day of school.However I can see that mistakes do happen, I myself have gotten on the wrong school bus as a kid. I know how easy it is to look away for a moment and miss where your line is and get into the wrong bus. Like I said I did it once myself.
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I hope Gracie overcomes her fears and is able to enjoy riding the bus again.

The process for new/first time riders needs to be improved. Route information with how kids get to the schools is sent to the parents, but return home info isn't. We don't know when to expect the bus, so therefore we also wouldn't know when it is too late and that something is mixed up. It would be nice if the school district does do some procedural changes that they get the input of parents that are "new" to bussing.

Bluebirds66: Great idea!!!! There is no excuse for this to ever happen. This will be etched on her memory forever.

Teachers and staff do their very best on that first day to get and keep everyone where they need to be. When my son was younger, the first day I would follow the bus to school and make sure he knew how to get where he needed to go. After school, I'd be there to get him on the correct bus and follow it home.

Ok, there is a very simple solution to this. Have the children wear on number around their neck or pinned on them for the first week. It's the number of their bus. The driver shouldn't let anyone on their bus that doesn't have the right number.

I would like to know if Gracie got off the bus with a friend? Perhaps the son/daughter of Dewberry, the birth mother's friend that found her? Don't get me wrong, the "adults" in this situation should have taken control and ensured Gracie STAYED in the correct line and boarded the proper bus, but "some children" do not listen for anything. If they want to do something or go with a friend, there is no stopping them, short of picking them up and carrying them yourself. I can tell you from first hand experience that "some little girls" have minds of their own and short of picking them up and forcing/carrying them to do what they were told...they do not listen!

I could be totally wrong, and am sorry if this offends anyone, but lets not place all the blame in one place unless we know all the facts.

Wow it is the first day where is the teachers and the staff who are suppose to know these things, were my children go to school that little ones are helped find their bus and made sure they are on the right one!!! Ok now I am sure some teachers are going to say that it isn't their faults, but it is your job to make sure these kids get ont he right bus. Why did it take so long for these parents to talk to someone about their child? What the school doesn't know what is going on with your kids? Makes me happy to nknow that!!!!

This must have been horrifying for the little girl and her parents. Thank goodness for the kindness of family friends; I would like to hope that strangers would have come to her aid, as well.
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John Walczak and Steve Eichman are good people and I know they care about the students under their supervision. I'm sure they will make certain this never happens again. This is a reminder to go over safety and emergency rules with all our children.
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Best wishes to all involved, especially the little girl beginning her education.