FINDLAY, Ohio — A notice for Findlay City Schools parents on the first day of classes said buses were running late.
The post led to nearly 300 Facebook comments - most from parents sharing their own experience.
Caitlynn Scott is a mom to a second grader new to the district. She said she was told her son wasn't eligible to ride the bus yet, which is why she went to pick him up from school on the first day.
"They call his teacher, his teacher's not answering they say, 'Oh well he's probably on a bus. The buses are still here,'" Scott said.
After not knowing where her son was for nearly 45 minutes, she said school officials finally found him on a school bus.
"My house stays locked, so I have to drive off, rush to get to my house, hope that I get there before the bus does," Scott said.
On the second day of school, after being told her son can now ride the bus, Scott said she had no issues getting him to school in the morning but on the way home, she waited nearly an hour.
"He didn't end up getting home for 55 minutes when it was all said and done," she said. "55 minutes after the time I was given."
Talisha Balicki said she also experienced her daughter's bus running behind by about 40 minutes.
Her and Scott also said because buses are running late in the morning as well, kids are missing out on breakfast provided by the school.
"If you have to take extra ordinary measures and name check each student that gets on and off your bus and verifying they're at the right stop, then that's what you need to do until you have your schedule down," Balicki said.
Because of all the issues, Balicki said she is driving her daughter to school herself now.
"I understand that there's going to be delays, but 45 minutes, kids being misplaced, nobody knowing where there kids are at, that's not acceptable," she said.
WTOL 11 reached out to the district's superintendent who apologized to parents and admits there were bus issues the first day of school. He says the district is working through them.
You can read his full letter to parents here:
"Findlay City Schools Community, On the first day of school, Findlay City Schools experienced transportation issues with afternoon drop-off. I am reviewing our process, procedures, and protocols with our Transportation Department. We offer humble apologies and will improve our communication with parents. Thank you to the parents and the bus drivers for working together to get our students home safely. We are transitioning from Ohio Alerts to the Remind App. Please visit https://fcs.org/alerts/ to sign-up for Remind alerts, which is now the tool that helps the district share important updates and reminders with students and parents.
Sincerely, Mr. Troy Roth"