That was the third and final straw for Madison Largin, who said the incident was the culmination of a string of mishaps in which her daughter was left alone to navigate inside and outside of school grounds.

Largin says her daughter, Aurora, had just started kindergarten at Foothill Elementary and was excited to make friends in a new school.

Largin said she was assured by Aurora’s teacher that a “helper” would be on hand to make sure she made it from the bus and to her class safely.

However, on Aug. 19 — Aurora’s third day of school — this was not the case, she said.

“She got off the bus and nobody was there to help her, per their policy. And so she was just wandering around by herself, you know, brand-new school, big school,” Largin explained.

The worried mother hoped the oversight would be a one-time instance.

But the next day, she received a phone call from the school informing her that administrators had Aurora in the school office because she was found wandering outside of the school alone trying to find her bus.

“The children that ride the school bus are supposed to be guided to the back of the school to be picked up. And instead, the bell rang and they were just let out with no assistance,” Largin said.

She said her daughter would have identified the bus but couldn’t find it and, eventually, all of the buses left. “My daughter said she was walking around crying because she was scared and alone for the second day in a row,” Largin told the Daily Herald.

According to the district’s website, bus drivers are required to wait a minimum of seven minutes for students to load onto the bus. In the event they miss the bus, students are instructed to go into the school office — and not walk home.

Largin spoke with the school’s principal, who she said apologized for the oversight and reassured her of the school’s commitment to the safety and supervision of its students. “He also mentioned that they are understaffed, which I mean, that’s no excuse for being negligent with children that are literally under their care,” she said.

A day later, another panic-inducing situation occurred.

Largin said her husband went to meet Aurora at her bus stop but she wasn’t there. Nor was she on the bus when he stopped the driver to ask where she was.

Aurora was deemed missing for a short time after neither the school nor the transportation department could locate her, according to Largin.

“I don’t remember what happened — except (that) like my face and my tongue were numb because of the fear and panic,” she explained.

Fortunately, her husband found Aurora a few blocks away from their home.

“She had just been walking around trying to find our house, and my husband found her dripping in sweat in 90 degrees, and her face was bright red and she was crying,” Largin recalled.

The parents discovered that Aurora was indeed on the bus but was dropped off at the wrong location.

Largin claimed that the bus driver told her Aurora was sitting next to a friend on the bus ride home and assumed the two were siblings.

“My daughter had, per usual, her backpack tag on stating, you know, what bus stop she needs to be dropped off (at),” Largin said. “The bus driver did not pay attention to that, like, at all and just let her get off the bus.”

District transportation officials say drivers are trained to check students for backpack tags and verify that those students are getting off the bus at the correct stop. However, in the case of a misstep, additional guidance should be administered. “We train all of our drivers on the tag system, as well as behavior management, safety, and everything else necessary to transport students safely to schools,” David Ludwig, ASD’s transportation director, said in an emailed statement. “When mistakes are made, we provide additional training and look for other ways to improve our process.”

While students are at school, Ludwig said, adults are prepared to help guide them to their correct bus and, in most cases, children develop a routine after the first few days and learn where to go. “Everybody is generally comfortable with the process. On buses, typically the driver is the only adult. Our special needs routes have bus attendants to help students with mobility needs,” Ludwig noted in the email.

Ultimately, the district recognizes the issue at hand and says student safety is of the utmost importance. “Recently, a student who rode one of our school buses was dropped off at the wrong stop after school. It was a mistake and we have resolved the issue,” ASD said in an emailed statement. “When we fall short, we acknowledge it, learn from it, and improve our practice. We will always strive to deliver excellent educational experiences to our students and their families.”

But for Largin, the three instances were enough to make her enroll Aurora at another school, and she says from now on she plans to personally drive her.

In what could have been a tragic outcome for the Largin family, the Orem mother hopes her story can inspire change in the district to stand firm on the policies they set forth.

“It’s as simple as this: follow their policies and keep the kids safe. And they are failing at that,” she said.

Rich Stowell, ASD’s director of communications, says they are grateful for the trust of parents and will work to make improvements where needed. “We ask for patience during the first of the school year as all of us- teachers, bus drivers, administrators, other parents, and students-learn our routines and settle into a great school year,” Stowell said in an emailed statement.