A student entered deep floodwater after leaving a school bus in Port St. Lucie on Monday, prompting parents to question St. Lucie Public Schools’ decisions to open schools during severe weather and send buses into flooded streets. A viral video shows the student swimming home through the neighborhood, where the water has since receded.
Neighbor Ariel Abel said the bus became stuck before the student stepped into the water. “We watched the school bus get stuck over in that turn area, and then we watched the kid get off, and he sunk straight into the water.” Lucinda Lopez also described the danger: “He literally almost went completely underwater,” she said.
Parents have questioned whether students should have sheltered at school until conditions improved rather than boarding buses traveling through severely flooded streets. The county’s first flood advisory came just after 8 a.m. Monday, and the first flash flood warning was issued at 10:41 a.m. “Seeing the danger that all of the kids were put in is not okay,” Lopez said.
St. Lucie Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince apologized to families for the district’s response during a news conference Tuesday. “I completely understand the frustration families feel,” Prince said. “It caused a lot of stress for our families, and for that, I’m profoundly sorry.”
Some parents remained dissatisfied with the apology and called for changes to protect students. “An apology doesn’t fix what is happening,” Abel said. Lopez emphasized safety over attendance: “We need to do better. We need to protect our kids at all costs. Missing a day or two of school is okay if it means keeping our kids safe at all costs.”