Twelve-year-old Jessica Lovett usually does a lot of things when it comes to school. But walking on a busy highway to get home is not one of them.
"My knees, they were just giving out and I didn't want to walk anymore. I'm not used to that kind of exercise," she said.
It was Monday afternoon when the seventh grade Peet Junior High student took what is called a "late bus" because she had a test to make up after school.
After passing her subdivision, she says the driver of the school bus dropped her and three other kids off at an HEB in Conroe.
"The bus driver said he wasn't going to go down my street so he said to just get off at HEB, and I told him that was really far from my house," Lovett said.
It's exactly 2.3 miles from her home -- 2.3 miles of rush hour traffic on Highway 336. It was so far, she couldn't make it home and stopped off at her friend's house for a rest.
"Was just exhausted. I thought she came over to play, but she was just exhausted and wanted something to drink," family friend Melissa Bernard said.
Lovett says she's grateful she at least had a classmate to walk with.
"He wanted me to stay on the inside so that he could walk on the outside. He didn't want to put me in that sort of danger," she said.
Conroe ISD did not want to go on camera regarding this story but did send us a statement that reads in part:
"The run was a late bus run, which are satellite stops, unlike our regular daily stops. In addition to the investigation, the district is reviewing procedures to better manage late bus runs. Appropriate actions will be taken, if warranted."
It's not enough, according to the child's mother.
"He definitely jeopardized her. She could have been ran over; she could have been picked up by a stranger," Lovett's mother, Janel Kincannon said.
Conroe ISD said the bus driver has been suspended until further notice.
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