4 Year Old Left on Parked Bus for Hours in East Texas
Gladewater Superintendent Sedric Clark had some explaining to do after a 4 year-old boy was left on a parked school bus alone for hours last week. So far, the district has fired two employees - but the situation is far from over.
East Texas Matters is reporting that on October 22nd, the driver and bus monitor failed to follow procedure and have subsequently been fired. That failure led to the unnamed Head Start student being left on the bus for the entire route. The bus was returned to, and left at the transportation center with the child still inside. He was discovered much later when someone returned to the bus. Superintendent Clark has reassured parents that administrators at the Region 7 Education Service Center, Gladewater Police, and Child Protective Services are currently investigating.
Reportedly, the student is fine, and Gladewater officials say that everyone has been "refreshed on what their roles are," in order to assure that a situation like this never happens again. According to KLTV, the district's current policy is that the bus monitor walk the bus at the end off the route.