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Nine-year-old left on school bus Save Email Print
Posted: 4:26 PM Sep 4, 2008
Last Updated: 4:26 PM Sep 4, 2008
Reporter: Samantha Andre
Email Address: samantha.andre@wrdw.com

A | A | A

First at Five, September 4, 2008

RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga.---A nine-year-old student is left on his school bus in Augusta, perhaps for hours. Now it's up to those in charge to figure out why it happened.

Tuesday morning, the driver dropped her bus load of kids at Glenn Hills Elementary, but school officials say this third-grade student was sleeping in the back.

The driver took the bus home, as she was supposed to. The child woke up and didn't know where he was, so he got off and wandered around the neighborhood.

Someone found him and took him to the school.

"This is something that we definitely don't like. It's a safety issue, it's an accountability issue. Our students and our parents need to know that their children need to know that they're going to be safe on our buses," said Louis Svehla, Richmond County School public information director.

There is a policy that drivers walk to the back of the bus before they get off, to make sure no kids or items are left. Now the school system is figuring out whether this driver did that.

All new buses bought since last year have a device to prevent this type of incident from happening. A buzzer goes off when the bus shuts down and the driver has to physically walk to the back to shut it off.

This bus driver is still driving her route, but that could change when the investigation is complete. The school system hopes to complete it by early next week.

The last time something like this happened in Richmond County was in 2004.

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Posted by: Laquetta Location: Ridgeland sc on Sep 22, 2008 at 12:12 AM
my(7) year old two twins got left on the bus also on September 15, 2008 the school didn't know only the owner who is over the whole bus transportations he didn't even told me i found out by some of the kids in the neigh boor hood they were on there for an hour n a half that morning where they take the buses to the main bus parking lot/to another destination I'm upset and afraid for my kids to even ride the bus to school anymore if they stayed asleep they wouldn't have made it for they 8th birthday which was Friday September 19, 2008. The only way they woke up was by the heat.Both of them have serious asthma problems and one have heart problems. to me it seem like they are trying to keep it a hush thing, after the kids told me i tryed to stick around until they contact me but they never did so i had to call them then i notified them and putted it on the news because i didn't think that was right. Then when they cammed home said they said that they was out of breath

Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 10, 2008 at 02:47 PM
I dont think that her job should be taken, jobs are hard to come by these days. I feel that she should be suspended for a couple of days thats all. The driver made a mistake but the child is safe. Yes it could have been worse but its not. I am sure that she will be very cautious next time!

Posted by: Tracy Location: North Augusta on Sep 5, 2008 at 02:24 PM
Obviously the Richmond County bus driver failed to walk to the back of the bus, due to the fact that the kid was still on it. I have witnessed parents go to jail for less...and she is still driving the bus? That is very, very, sad. Shame on the Richmond County Scool District for taking so long to focus blame. Wron is wron and I am sure the childs parents feel the same way.

Posted by: J.J. Location: Augusta, GA on Sep 5, 2008 at 06:45 AM
And this is one of the many reasons why I drive my kids to school.

Posted by: steve Location: n.augusta on Sep 4, 2008 at 07:47 PM
the driver should be wrote up for this. but please do not take his or her job. if there are buzzers in the back of the new buses, may there should be buzzers in all the buses.it would be a quick fix for this problem. a swithch on the tranmission lever to a buzzer would not cost alot of money. it could save a life of a child and that is price less.

Posted by: Erica Location: Augusta GA on Sep 4, 2008 at 07:21 PM
I totaly agree!!! I am thankfull that your baby is okay. Something is up with Richmond County this school year. My sons ride the school bus every day, not getting home off the school bus till sometimes 6:00pm. I have called everyone- up to the Superentiendent. The buses this year are incompetent

Posted by: shilrley Location: hephzibah on Sep 4, 2008 at 05:45 PM
thank God the child is okay! she should have checked the bus, someone life is depending on her to do her job!!

Posted by: Charles Clark Location: Marshfield on Sep 4, 2008 at 04:51 PM
she should have checked the bus before she went home are when she droped them off

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