A Crowley ISD pre-K student was left on a school bus after morning drop-off and later found alone at the district’s transportation lot, prompting the driver’s termination and an immediate review of bus safety procedures. The child was located safely, but the incident exposed a breakdown in the basic end-of-route checks meant to prevent exactly this kind of nightmare.
The student was discovered by a Durham School Services employee, who made sure the child was safe. Medical staff evaluated the child and contacted the family, according to CBS Texas.
Crowley ISD contracts with Durham School Services to operate its buses, according to the district’s transportation information. District rules say students must be picked up and dropped off at their scheduled stops, while transportation staff are responsible for safely completing each route.
District Orders New Safety Checks After Bus Incident
Crowley ISD and Durham called the episode a serious failure of required child-check procedures, CBS Texas reported. The driver was terminated, transportation staff are being retrained, and every transportation employee must re-acknowledge child-check protocols before returning to work. Officials are also considering additional oversight measures as the investigation continues.
The Crowley incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of school-bus end-of-route procedures in Texas. In a separate case, 25 News KXXV reported that a Connally ISD student was found on a bus later in the day, leading to the removal of the driver and an aide while the district and its contractor reviewed their own safety systems.
