Reports state that a 4-year-old boy was left abandoned inside an empty bus at a bus yard, and that the driver of the school bus in Rhode Island, along with the safety monitors, were fired.
According to WBTS-TV News, after an internal district inquiry into the Tuesday accident in which the child was left behind, North Kingstown school authorities fired the staff members.
After the bus finished its run and was stored at the vehicle depot, the workers allegedly forgot the child, who was a member of an extended school program.
Eventually, the unhurt small boy managed to get off the bus and was noticed by a bus yard employee. Officials at the school concluded that required safety protocols were not being followed.
North Kingstown School Department Superintendent Kenneth Duva reportedly told parents in a letter, “This troubling situation was both shocking and unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of safety and care we uphold throughout the district.”
“We are deeply sorry this incident occurred,” he stated.
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Duva announced that the district was implementing additional measures, such as increased training for monitors and drivers and stricter guidelines for safety inspections that included technological integration.
Although police stated no criminal charges have been filed, he added the school system also reported the event to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
The names of the sacked employees were withheld.
