Castle Rock Parents Demand Answers After Bus Driver Abandons 40 Kids
Parents of students at Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock are demanding accountability after a substitute bus driver allegedly abandoned 40 children on their way home. The incident occurred on Monday evening when the driver forced the students off the bus at the intersection of East Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive, far from their regular stops.
The chaos began when the driver refused to leave the school parking lot until the children stopped talking, delaying their departure. “He wouldn’t let us leave the school until we stopped talking,” said 10-year-old student Caitlyn Zavadil. After finally leaving, the driver reportedly skipped all the designated stops, leading students to fear for their safety. “We felt like when he was driving and missing our stops, like we were getting kidnapped,” Zavadil added.
The children, left stranded two miles from the school in the cold and growing darkness, were frightened and unsure of what to do. “I felt like I was never going to get home,” said student Keira Schmidt. Some students forgot their jackets in the panic and were left shivering on the roadside. A stranger ultimately helped two of the girls, offering them a ride and contacting their mother, Ashley Stark. “I was absolutely petrified,” Stark said, recalling the moment she learned her children were crying and stranded.
The Douglas County School District has placed the substitute driver on leave and issued a statement saying, “This is incredibly concerning as the safety of our students is always our priority. We will continue to partner with the Castle Rock Police Department (CRPD) on this matter.” Parents, however, say they need more answers. “This wasn’t an honest mistake or a slip-up. There were a lot of ways the driver could have handled this,” said Stark.
Parents are calling for transparency and accountability, vowing to continue pressing for details and action from the district and transportation department. “It’s just unfathomable,” Stark said. “There needs to be some accountability.”
