LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One Butler High School student remains hospitalized after Friday's bus crash that sent more than 50 JCPS students from Frost Middle School to the hospital. That means students and parents faced big hurdles as they headed back to class Monday.
Most of those students are back in class at Frost Middle School. Parents brought some of them, but others had to find the courage to get back on a school bus.
Frost Middle School Principal Jennifer Wilt says, "That bus was the first bus to arrive this morning. Our students who got off that bus were in good spirits. They were glad to see us and we were glad to see them. They gave us some hugs as they came through the door and their friends, of course, were happy to see them."
Principal Wilt says counseling is being offered to students for the next few weeks. She and other school administrators personally called all the parents over the weekend to let them know about the sessions and to check on the children.
Wilt says the physical wounds will heal, but it may take some time for the children to get through mentally what happened to them on Friday.
While on its way to Frost Middle School, Bus 1250 was traveling on Lower River Road when a red Mustang collided with the bus, causing it to roll over. 48 children from the bus went to the hospital, along with three Butler High School students in the car. One of the students from that car is still in the hospital in good condition.
One of the biggest concerns is with parents heading into the counseling sessions -- some of their students were frightened of getting back onto the bus after the incident. Many of the riders on Bus 1250 live in the west end, about 30 minutes from Frost Middle School. "I just feel like it's too far for him to travel every day to school," parent Kathy Malone says. "I mean, we live downtown. I feel like we should be able to go to a school close by home...he's probably have to ride the bus because, again, I have to work."
Parents were also able to get their children's belongings back on Monday. Everything was strewn around inside and outside the bus when the wreck happened.
Parents were also frustrated with the communication, or lack of it, on Friday. They say there was a lot of confusion in trying to find out which hospital their children had been taken to.
Wilt says looking back, she doesn't think they could have done anything differently. She believes school officials acted as quickly as they could in getting information out to parents.
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