Bus driver fired after girl left on bus
June 3, 2009
By Laura Geggel
UPDATED — 5 p.m. June 5, 2009
A preschool child was mistakenly left on a Snoqualmie Valley school bus for more than two hours the morning of June 1. After the bus driver dropped off the morning route to Snoqualmie Elementary School, the driver failed to check the bus for any remaining children on the bus.
Another bus driver discovered the child two hours later while preparing for an afternoon route. The child was safe and unharmed.
The driver brought the child into the Snoqualmie Valley school district office and called the child’s parents.
The school district administration terminated the driver and said the district would emphasize proper school bus procedures among its drivers this month and during upcoming driver training sessions.
“The Snoqualmie Valley School District deeply regrets that this happened, and we apologize for any distress this may have caused the child and the child’s family,” school district spokeswoman Carolyn Malcolm said. “We want all parents to know that the district is working to ensure an oversight of this nature never happens again.”
The school district is reviewing its attendance practices, as well. Usually, classroom teachers report attendance in the morning to school office staff, who then call the parent or guardian of each unreported absence.
In this case, the child’s family had been planning to switch the child from morning to afternoon kindergarten. When the child was absent in the morning, the teacher mistakenly assumed the child was switching to afternoon kindergarten that day and did not notify the office of the absence.
“It was a very honest mistake, but it was a procedure that should have taken place,” Malcolm said. “The district will be reinforcing with all principals the importance of attendance procedures currently in place.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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“Honest Mistake”?
If the parents had left their child in their car or home alone that long they would be facing criminal charges.
This was not an honest mistake. If there are procedures that the district has in place that drivers, teachers and staff are mandated to follow to keep our kids safe—than there is no room for personal assumptions are second guessing the procedures.
The school district is very lucky the girl was not hurt. I hope this kind of thing never happens again.