Cincinnati girl walks nearly a mile after bus driver misses her stop

Cincinnati Public Schools fired a bus driver after a five-year-old student was left at the wrong stop and walked nearly a mile alone to get home. The incident occurred on October 13, the first day two sisters rode the bus home from Covedale Elementary School. Jalessa Ceaser and her sister Anastasiya took separate routes. While Anastasiya arrived on schedule, Jalessa never reached her designated stop at the Boys & Girls Club in Price Hill.

Valarie Conner, Jalessa’s stepmother, said she began calling the school after 2:36 p.m. when the girl did not appear. Staff initially told her the bus was running late. Conner waited for the estimated three to four minute arrival time, but Jalessa still had not shown up. After further calls, Conner learned the driver had dropped the child off in the 4200 block of Delridge Drive instead of the club.

The family reported that Jalessa was missing for more than two hours. Conner said the girl told her family she was chased by a dog. The child ran until the dog was out of sight, then continued walking without knowing her destination. A teacher eventually found her at the intersection of Padretti and Mayhew avenues in Delhi Township. That location is about 0.9 miles from where the bus left her, a distance Apple Maps calculates as a 21-minute walk.

Cincinnati Public Schools said the driver confused Jalessa with another student. The district stated the driver failed to follow required route-verification procedures. The school told the family it communicated with the bus provider, which terminated the driver’s employment immediately. The district directed the provider to reinforce attendance checks and stop verification protocols for all drivers.

The family said the school principal joined the search for the child. Conner expressed gratitude for that involvement but asked the district to explain how the mix-up occurred. She suggested that if a driver is unsure about a student, they should confirm identity or take the child back to school. Jalessa has since struggled with sleep and cries during the night. Conner noted that the girl now becomes paranoid when walking near buses, begging adults not to put her on them.

The district issued a statement acknowledging how frightening the event was for the family. It expressed relief that the student was found safe. The school system said it is working with the transportation partner to prevent similar errors in the future.