BATON ROUGE - After a child was dropped off at the wrong bus stop, the East Baton Rouge Parish School District is working to fix transportation problems as students return this fall.

Before school started, the district sent parents a survey asking those who didn’t intend to use bus services to opt out, but the district is still working through some kinks.

One parent says she started the school year like she would any other, with her son at the bus stop. Madison Abbot watched him get on the bus and head to school, but when the afternoon came and she saw other children walk off the bus step, her youngest son wasn’t there

"Now I'm panicking,” Abbot said. “I'm really concerned, so I texted his teacher.”

The school her son attends says he had gotten on a bus that afternoon, but could have been dropped off somewhere else. Abbott starts driving around Baton Rouge looking for him. She eventually finds him safe near Government Street, but he’s obviously scared.

“He is a small kid. He is brave and he is smart,“ Abbot said. “It's not him I'm worried about, it's Baton Rouge. It's not the safest area for a little kid to be walking on the street.”

After the incident, a representative with East Baton Rouge schools got in touch to figure out what went wrong in this case.

About a thousand parents opted out of bus services after a survey was sent out during the summer, asking parents if they wanted bus services. As a result, there have been fewer routes and some bus stops have changed since last year.

The district is working with Abbot towards a solution.

“For that case, we are actually talking to our technology department to see if there is a special number we can set up,” Taylor Gast, an East Baton Rouge Parish School District spokesperson, said. “It's my understanding that the parent couldn't get through to the hotline. So we've got to find another way for those families to get in touch with us, especially in a crisis situation like that.”

The district is also experiencing a shortage of bus drivers. Those interested in working for EBR schools can click here to learn more.