Some Temple parents are concerned Wednesday night after they say their elementary aged children walked home alone in the rain Tuesday afternoon after their school bus broke down, some even say their children walked more than a mile.
The incident happened Tuesday afternoon on West Avenue O and S 11th street. A Temple Independent School District spokesperson says bus #154 broke down on the street but claims proper protocol was followed.
Officials say once the bus broke down parents at the stop called other parents and explained the situation.
The district says the substitute bus driver told students they couldn't leave the bus unless their parent was there to pick them up.Some parents did pick up their kids, while other students switched buses and continued home.
However officials say a few students exited the bus without a parent present and walked home alone against the drivers instructions.
Temple resident Tracee Jay says the bus driver allowed her 6 year old daughter Abreanna to walk home in the rain and says it's unacceptable.
"It's almost a 40 minute walk and she doesn't really know her way home so anything could have happened" says Jay.
Abreanna says it was a challenging walk.
"I was running to my house and I almost got lost but I didn't" says Abreanna Jarrett.
Temple ISD released a statement about the incident saying in part "We will do a review with our bus drivers to make sure any elementary age student who exits a bus in a situation like this leaves with their parent".
However Jay says the driver should have kept a closer eye on the students.
"These are five and six year old kids walking by themselves. These are babies they shouldn't be walking so far unattended" says Jay.