Two children were waiting as the bus stop when a suspicious man pulled up in a van and tried to lure them inside.
The incident happened in southeast Charlotte in the Oakhurst neighborhood. According to reports, two children aged 7 and 9 were waiting for the bus when a black man with dreadlocks pulled up beside them in a white van.
He asked the children if they wanted $20, and held the money out to them. The oldest of the two told him “no” and then the two of them ran from the area.
The bus pulled up moments later, and the two boys got on the bus safely.
The boy’s mother says that she did not hear about the incident until hours later when her sons returned home from school. CMS released a statement saying that incidents that occur off of school grounds are the responsibility of the parent to report to police.
The mother says she reported the incident after her children told her about it, but it was too late for police to do anything.
The full statement by CMS is as follows:
“We’re checking on the case to determine best practices for students at school bus stops.
Any incident that occurs in a community should be reported to local police. The parent or a neighbor could have reported the case to police who may have dispatched a unit to investigate the case, which is the best advice. Did the children have a method of contacting their parents right away? You stated the children got off the school bus, which would indicate they got off and went home. The child should have reported the incident to the parent once they arrived home. The parent should have called police.
When an incident does not occur at a CMS school, we would recommend parents to encourage a child to share with the parent any incident that makes them feel uncomfortable in their neighborhood. Parents who feel their children are uncomfortable at a bus stop should make arrangements for an adult or guardian to wait at a school bus stop with a child until the bus arrives.”
Authorities say that now is a good time to take your children aside and have a conversation about stranger danger.