Oct 17, 2024
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (WDAF) – She won't be able to drive for another nine years, but the parents of a Missouri second grader say she's already had her first crash. Seven-year-old Alannah Cheffen, of Independence, said she crashed her school bus into another bus on school grounds. Independence Schools have yet to provide details on Tuesday's collision outside Three Trails Elementary, and Independence police say they weren't notified. No one was hurt. Based on information gathered by Nexstar's WDAF, it appears the bus driver may have been trying to teach the kids what to do in an emergency. Cheffen's family wants to know why she was allowed at the controls of a school bus Tuesday. "I was blown away. It was actually my child that was instructed to be behind the wheel of a bus," said Alannah Cheffen's mother, Ambrosia Holt, who added that her daughters told her of the incident. High school requiring students to scan QR codes to leave class  Three Trails Elementary parents received an email Tuesday morning notifying them of "a minor incident involving your child's bus during drop-off this morning where one bus slowly rolled into another while on school grounds. The situation was handled promptly and with care." The statement added that the school day continued "as normal." Holt said her daughters and a transportation supervisor told her that the bus driver was giving the students training on what to do if she had a medical emergency, including how to open doors and windows. According to the girls, when no one volunteered, the second grader was called to the front of the bus for some hands-on experience in the driver's seat. "She told me to press that thing and when I pressed it, it made the whole bus go backwards. Then I pressed the gas button and it stopped out of nowhere," Cheffen said. "When it happened and we hit the back of the bus, she just didn't say nothing, and she went back and she just parked it like nothing was happening," Cheffen's 10-year-old sister, Amiyah Brown, said. Police said they weren't notified of the collision, and parents in the school pick-up line Wednesday didn't seem to know about the crash nor the apparent bus training. "It's not something I would be comfortable with my kid being on a bus and being either A) expected to help into the driver side or B) being on a bus with another kid who is driving," parent Sheila Harrison said. "If I didn't know that they have our children doing this, I'm pretty sure there's other parents that do not know. So that's my biggest thing … because, like I said, this could have resulted into something super big," Cheffen's mother said. It's still unclear what exactly happened, whether the parking brake was properly engaged, or any other details about emergency bus training involving students. It's also unknown whether the school district is investigating the school bus driver or if she could face discipline. WDAF will continue to try to question the district about the collision.
Respond, make new discussions, see other discussions and customize your news...

To add this website to your home screen:

1. Tap tutorialsPoint

2. Select 'Add to Home screen' or 'Install app'.

3. Follow the on-scrren instructions.

Feedback
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service