In North Kingstown, Rhode Island, a 4-year-old boy was trapped inside an unattended bus. Per WBTS-TV News, the unidentified boy "was unintentionally left in a minibus, transported back to the bus yard, and left inside as the driver and monitors left."
Reportedly, the boy eventually left the bus of his own accord. An employee found him shortly afterward. Fortunately, the boy came out of the ordeal uninjured. WJAR spoke to North Kingstown Superintendent, Kenneth Duva, about the incident. An internal investigation revealed that the bus driver and bus monitors failed to follow the mandatory safety procedure, and they have since been terminated.
In a letter to the school community, Duva wrote the following. "This troubling situation was both shocking and unacceptable. And does not reflect the standards of safety and care we uphold throughout our District. We are deeply sorry this incident occurred."
Duva confirmed that the district will be implementing new measures, including mandatory retraining for drivers and monitors, enhanced safety checks, and technology safety additions. According to police, no criminal charges will be filed.
A Rhode Island 4-Year-Old Boy Is Accidentally Left Inside A School Bus
This incident falls in line with a recent string of children being left in school buses. Per WHDH, 9-year-old Micah Adams in Massachusetts was left on a school bus after he fell asleep. His grandmother, Teresa Ashby, was notified that Adams was absent from class. Ashby immediately contacted the school "and was told it was a mistake with the attendance system."
However, Adams had a different story. Adams said that he fell asleep on the bus and woke up in an empty bus yard. "He woke up, had no idea where he was," Ashby told the publication. "This has been hard. He was petrified. He was scared."
"It's upsetting to me. One, I don't know who brought my kid to school, nobody contacted me, so yeah, I'm pretty upset."
Consequently, an investigation was conducted by the school's superintendent. However, Ashby wasn't satisfied. "I've gotten no answers, not even an apology," she said. "You're supposed to check your bus before you leave the school grounds to make sure no one is left behind."
