9-Year-Old Mistakenly Put Off School Bus

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- When 9-year-old Joshua Wilson was told to get off the school bus Monday, he didn't understand what was happening.

"He was crying. He was crying. He was upset that he had to be taken off the bus!" said the boy's father.

Larry Wilson was hot when his 9-year-old son called for a ride home Monday.

Joshua's school bus driver told the child she knew he didn't live two miles from Mandarin Oaks Elementary, so he had to get off the bus.

The Wilson's home is at the entrance to their Mandarin development, 1.7 miles from school. But three tenths of a mile into their development is the magical two-mile mark --and the school bus stop.

"I'd rather him walk to the back of the neighborhood than going down (the main busy roads like) Losco and down Lippizan and everything where all the parents and traffic is going to school," said Wilson.

Larry Wilson says he called the Duval County School District's Transportation office last week to have his son pre-approved to ride if he walked deeper into their development to the two-mile mark to be picked up.

After First Coast News contacted school officials Tuesday, it was learned the bus driver was out of bounds for putting Joshua off the bus, and the nine-year-old will be allowed to ride from now on if he walks to and from the neighborhood's two-mile stop.

"You are going to have hiccups at the beginning of every year," said School District Spokesperson Jill Johnson.

"We always have changes to bus routes every year, and especially this year because we have the additional changes to the 2-mile versus the 1-1/2 mile,"

Larry Wilson is just thankful for a speedy resolution.

"Now, they've apparently, they've corrected -- they're trying to correct and say 'yes' -- he CAN ride the bus!"

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