A Rhode Island school bus driver and safety monitor have reportedly been fired after leaving a 4-year-old boy inside an empty bus in a bus yard.
North Kingstown school officials fired the employee following an internal district investigation into the incident Tuesday in which a boy was left behind. WBTS-TV News reported.
Staff reportedly forgot about the child, who was attending extended lessons, after the bus had completed its route and parked at the depot.
The boy, who was unharmed, eventually found his way off the bus and was spotted by a bus station employee.
School officials determined mandatory safety procedures were ignored.
“This troubling situation is shocking and unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of safety and care we uphold throughout our district,” North Kingstown School District Superintendent Kenneth Duba said in a letter to parents, according to local media.
“I am deeply sorry that this incident occurred,” he wrote.
Duba said the district is implementing new measures such as increased training for drivers and spotters and tougher safety inspection requirements, including the use of technology.
He said police said no criminal charges have been filed, but that the school district also reported the incident to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families.
The identities of the fired employees have not been released.
