A Kentucky kindergarten student and a Texas elementary student were left unattended on their school buses this past week.
Fox 19 reported that 5-year-old Zaylee Estvanko was left on a Boone County School District bus, located north of Frankfort, Kentucky, on Feb. 23. Estvanko’s mother told Fox 19 that her child was left on the bus for over 30 minutes, after she fell asleep during the route to North Pointe Elementary School.
The district released a statement saying that Estvanko was found with the help of a device called “No Child Left Behind,” which ounds an alarm if the bus driver does not check for students in every seat. The district’s release stated that the alarm was triggered and that the “driver immediately drove the bus back to the school and dropped the student off.”
Then, in Copperas Cove Independent School District (CCISD), located north of Austin, Texas, a 6-year-old girl was left unattended on a school bus after falling asleep on the morning of Feb. 25, reported 25 ABC. Clement-Parsons Elementary student Kennedy Locken told 25 ABC that she woke up after the school bus had been parked in a CCISD transportation parking lot.
Locken reportedly climbed through the rear emergency exit and went to the transportation building, where she was found by staff. Locken’s mother told 25 ABC that she was informed her daughter was at the CCISD transportation parking at 12:45 p.m.
Locken’s mother said that the bus driver reportedly did not scan her daughter’s ID card to ensure that she had exited the bus. She noted that her son had also previously been left on his school bus and that she is considering taking legal action against the district.
“Drivers receive required training to ensure the safety of students including mandatory checks to see if students are still on the bus,” the district said in a statement. “CCISD is investigating the alleged incident and will take appropriate administrative action based on the findings.”
