Crowley ISD bus driver fired after leaving pre-K student on hot bus for hours
Bus driver fired after Crowley ISD student left on hot bus
A Crowley ISD bus driver was terminated after they left a pre-kindergarten student on a hot bus last week. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A bus driver in Crowley ISD had their employment terminated after a child was left on a bus following morning service.
Crowley ISD bus driver fired
What we don't know:
Crowley ISD says it has terminated the employment of a bus driver in the district after they left a child on a school bus following morning service on Thursday, July 23.
The child, a pre-kindergarten student, was found on the bus in a Durham School Services parking lot. Medical personnel evaluated the child and later reunited them with their family.
Temperatures in North Texas reached over 100 degrees last Thursday.
The district says the driver "failed to follow protocol and the student should never have been left alone."
Crowley ISD and Durham School Services are still investigating the incident, and are undergoing a comprehensive review of their transportation procedures.
All transportation employees are required to review child-check procedures before returning to service.
"We are grateful the student was located safely. While the investigation is ongoing, we remain committed to identifying all contributing factors and implementing any corrective actions necessary to help prevent this from ever happening again," Crowley ISD said in a statement.
What we don't know:
We do not know the name of the bus driver fired, the name of the child victim, or the length of time the child was left on the bus.
It's also unclear if criminal charges will be filed in the wake of the bus driver's firing.
What they're saying:
"Speechless about it," Bettie Pepper, who works across the street from where the child was left on the bus, told FOX 4's David Sentendrey.
Bettie Pepper
"That child could've died in that bus, and they were very fortunate that she didn't," Pepper continued.
"I wish that all the bus drivers and any kind of caregivers or anything would just be very conscious of what's going on, especially when you've got children in the car."
The Source: Information in this story comes from Crowley ISD.