A frenzied scene played out for dozens of students and parents in southern Wake County on Tuesday.
Parents followed a school bus after children worried about missed stops. Some children eventually got off through an emergency exit, which led to an emotional scene of elementary-aged students in the middle of a neighborhood road.
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"Just a lot of chaos that happened and resulted in the kids feeling pretty scared," said Deborah Bridger, a parent of a student on the bus.
Three days later, Holly Springs police said that chaos won't lead to charges.
Investigators found two vehicles partially stopped in front of the bus, but said no adult tried to forcibly enter or tamper with the vehicle.
Instead, police point to a " lack of clear information and direction" that left guardians reasonably concerned for their children's safety.
The incident comes as Wake County continues working to fill its driver shortage.
The district currently has 533 yellow-bus drivers, 15 fewer than this time last year. Board members asked several questions at a meeting on Tuesday about driver turnover and whether the district could do anything to reduce it. Driver turnover is about 15% or more. Since last year, 91 drivers have resigned.
According to WCPSS policy, bus drivers are told to pull over safely and contact a supervisor if they need help with navigation or routes. While WCPSS said in a statement that the driver did pull over, it's unclear if a supervisor was called.
WRAL asked if the bus driver will receive additional training and what triggers a call, text or email to parents when a route goes wrong.
WRAL asked the district whether Tuesday's incident will prompt any changes to communication, training or substitute-driver procedures.
The district referred us back to Holly Springs Police on our questions. Holly Springs police referred to those questions as WCPSS policy matters and referred WRAL back to the district.