12/16/13 Investigation into exactly what lead to a Plymouth Schools kindergarten student being left on a bus on Friday morning is continuing.
When contacted on Friday evening, Plymouth Superintendent Daniel Tyree said, “A elementary boy was left on the bus this morning He spent approximately two and one-half hours unattended.” He added, “When he was found, he was still buckled into his seat and was asleep.” Tyree said, “The school nurse examined the young man thoroughly. She (nurse) found no injuries.”
Officially, the bus driver involved has resigned. However, Tyree indicated that the bus driver was not the only one who may have failed to follow protocol. He said, “The situation is under investigation. We know that several school employees were involved in this.” He termed the matter an “unfortunate situation” and said they hope to complete their investigation on Monday. Tyree indicated he was withholding a press release until after their investigation is finalized.
According to Tyree, School Board policy requires every bus driver to check clear to the back of the bus after drop-offs. Protocol is to post a red sign in the back of the bus showing that the bus is empty. Since the matter is still under investigation, Tyree did not say if a red sign had been posted or whether the bus had been parked on school property or at another location.
Tyree said that grant money that they get from the State of Indiana for safety and security will be used to insure that this type of incident will never happen again. Grant monies can be spent starting January 1. He indicated that putting additional safeguards in place for this type of incident will be first on the list.
Carol Anders Correspondent
