Bus Driver Who Dropped Kids Off Blocks From School Under Investigation

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The St. Petersburg Police Department says a Tuesday morning scare involving missing kids from Lealman Innovation Academy ended with all students accounted for. The school bus driver who allegedly dropped the kids off blocks from campus, however, is now under investigation by the school district.

According to the police department, a bus heading to the academy, 4900 28th St. N., stopped 10 blocks short of its destination Tuesday morning. The driver, an email from the police department said, let the estimated 39 sixth- through 12th-graders off on 39th Avenue North instead of finishing the run to the school. The stop was made around 7:35 a.m. Aug. 15.

Get the St. Pete Patch newsletter and alerts in your inbox. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

At 9:18 a.m., police reported that all students had been safely located but one. The missing student was found around 9:30 a.m.

The name of the driver has not been released. Police say the driver told them she made the early stop for “safety reasons,” the email noted. Those reasons have not been elaborated on.

Like St. Pete Patch on Facebook and keep reading below:

The police department said no criminal charges have been filed against the driver. The investigation has been turned over to the school district, the agency's spokeswoman told Patch.

"The bus incident this morning is concerning and will be fully investigated by the district," Pinellas County Schools' spokeswoman Lisa Wolf told Patch late Tuesday morning. "Pinellas County Schools has strict policies and expectations of safety in place for our bus drivers and this morning those policies were not followed. The bus driver will not be transporting any students in Pinellas County."

Wolf said an investigation into the incident is under way.

Further information is not available at this time, including the name of the driver.

Lealman Innovation Academy serves students in the sixth through 12th grades. The school “envisions a student-centered culture that connects the unique talents, skills, passions, attitudes and needs of learners to personalized learning opportunities so they are engaged and invested in their own journey toward mastery,” according to its website.

Image via Shutterstock