On the morning of Sept. 5, the second grader from School 17, began an unexpected and frightening journey when he mistakenly boarded the wrong bus headed for Woodrow Wilson Middle School and not his elementary school.

After realizing he had been dropped off at the wrong school, the boy did not enter Woodrow Wilson because the prospect of an unfamiliar school and bigger, older students frightened him, said Alex Rivera, who is engaged to the child’s mother.

The child decided to turn around and go home and began to walk down Van Houten Avenue. However, when he arrived home and no one was there, the boy began a trek to School 17, negotiating nearly 2 miles of speedy Clifton and Paulison avenues’ traffic before finally arriving at the Lexington Avenue school.

During his walk, Rivera said the child’s fear of getting into trouble for getting on the wrong bus and being late for school, forced him to avoid authorities.

"The thing he was most worried about was that he was going to get into trouble for taking the wrong bus," Rivera said, adding he even "ran past the police station because he thought he might get into trouble."

The young boy arrived to school at about 10 a.m.

Confusion arose when two school vehicles, both labeled with the number 23, stopped to pick up students on the same block where the child lives.

Clifton Superintendent Richard Tardalo said the student accidentally boarded the van marked "23" instead of the School 17 bus marked "23," which arrived approximately 10 minutes later. To the dismay of his parents, neither the bus driver nor aide recognized the mix-up. The correct bus to School 17 arrives on his block at 8:10 a.m. each morning.

"Thank God he’s OK," Tardalo said. "I don’t consider myself a deeply religious individual, but somebody was looking out for this young man. I find it impressive that a 7-year-old was able to find his way back like that."

The child’s mother, who did not wish to disclose her name or her son’s, said the school did not contact her regarding the incident until after 1 p.m. on Thursday, though the child arrived at School 17 at approximately 10 a.m.

Rivera said the School 17 teachers described the frazzled 7-year-old as "red-faced" and "profusely sweating" upon his arrival.

"God forbid he had a health condition," Rivera said. "It’s a shock that had my fiancé crying and searching for answers. Thank God he’s alright."

Rivera said the boy’s mother never received any information from the Department of Transportation regarding bus pick-up and drop-off prior to the first day of school and missed the school bus on the first day of school. On that day, the mother drove the boy to School 17. The boy’s mother told Clifton Journal that she walked her son to the bus stop on the second day and asked the driver of the vehicle her son boarded if he was heading to School 17. The driver, the mother said, told her that her son would indeed be dropped off at School 17.

Looking for answers, Rivera said his fiancé contacted Tardalo, but was upset when the superintendent explained he could not guarantee the safety of students who used school transportation. Though the child’s guardians said they are angered over the incident, Rivera said they only want to know how district will "ensure this doesn’t happen in the future."

"We want someone held responsible for this," he added. "We’re not looking to sue anyone, but a public official saying he can’t guarantee the safety of our child is disturbing. There’s a big communication problem and I don’t know where it’s coming from, but it’s not good."

Board of education member Lizz Gagnon said the incident was "unfortunate" but is confident her superintendent will take the necessary steps to resolve the situation.

"As a mother, my heart goes out to them," Gagnon said Monday. "Thank God nothing happened, but the bus drivers and aides are supposed to check the whole bus to make sure everyone goes inside. There are several rules they’re supposed to follow. It was just a mistake. I do know Mr. Tardalo is looking into taking action."

On Sept. 5, the day following the incident, school officials escorted the student to the proper bus to ensure a smooth commute for the second grader. The middle school bus, which the child mistakenly boarded last week has moved its pick-up stop to another street in order to avoid any future confusion.

Tardalo said he interviewed staff members and parents involved in the incident at Woodrow Wilson Middle School on Monday.

"The investigation is complete," Tardalo said during a phone interview Tuesday, "and we’ve gotten to the bottom of it. It will be addressed during Wednesday’s board meeting and discussed in executive session.

"I want to make it clear that this will not happen again," he said, "and we are adamant about that. What we do here is all about the kids. [The incident] was a serious lapse of judgement and procedures were not followed. I’ve reminded all transportation [staff] to follow protocol daily." (The Board of Education meeting was held after Clifton Journal’s Wednesday morning deadline.)

Tardalo said he understood how the child’s parents "must have felt" and stipulated that the ongoing investigation, legal issues and the fact that the incident involved school personnel made it difficult to offer a great deal of information to the public before the investigation was complete.

In the meantime, Rivera said the 7-year-old is doing "fine" after the ordeal and has remained focused on his schooling.

"He was a little scared and Friday, his legs were hurting," Rivera said. "But he knows he has to go to school and do what he has to do."