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    • North Kingstown school bus driver, supervisors fired after child left on bus
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    North Kingstown school bus driver, supervisors fired after child left on bus

    Vaseline Posted on

    Staff of the magazine
    | Providence Magazine

    NORTH KINGSTOWN – The school bus driver and supervisors who inadvertently left a 4-year-old boy alone on a bus last Tuesday while a heat warning was in effect have been fired, school principal Kenneth A. Duva announced in a news release.

    The child, who is enrolled in the district’s extended school year program, had boarded the minivan for the ride to school Tuesday morning, but was left on the bus and taken back to the bus station. The door was left ajar and the child eventually got out and wandered into the nearby Municipal Office Building, where he was found unharmed, police said.

    Temperatures had risen above 80 degrees Fahrenheit by then, and Rhode Island, with the exception of Block Island, was issued a dangerous heat and humidity warning by the National Weather Service.

    A police investigation found that the incident was “a monumental mistake that could have had serious consequences” but was not criminal.

    The school department’s investigation “revealed that the bus driver and supervisors failed to follow our mandatory safety procedures, including checking the bus upon completion of its route to ensure no child was left behind,” Duva said in the release. “The bus driver and supervisors responsible have been terminated and will not be permitted to work for NKSD or any other contractor we work with in the future.”

    He added that the school district is implementing new safety measures, including “mandatory safety training for all bus drivers and supervisors” and “an additional safety check and attendance protocol that is aligned with the school’s attendance records,” and that “new technology additions are being explored, such as camera systems for school buses.”

    Although the child was unharmed, Duva said, “This does not take away from the suffering of the child and his family, which is understandable. NKSD is committed to rebuilding the trust all families place in us through our actions and improvement steps, and remains committed to providing every child with a safe and supportive educational experience.”

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