TREMONTON, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A pre-school autistic boy gets left behind on the bus. This happened Friday. Both the driver and aide broke protocol by not walking through the bus either at the school and before they finished their route.
When five year old Dylan Snow left home Friday afternoon, he was headed to the Early Learning Center in Corinne. He fell asleep during the bus ride and when he woke up he was nowhere near school. Instead he was in the bus driver's driveway. Mom Julie Snow says, “He woke up and panicked and got off the bus and started walking.”
Dylan was found wandering several blocks away near 700 North and 300 East. That’s when police were called and his mom was told what happened. Julie Snow says, “I just had a police officer show up on my doorstep.”
The news was frightening for Snow, “It took a while for it to really sink in that my son had been wandering around by himself.” It could take some time before Dylan - who is autistic - to get over the ordeal. Snow says, “He played cops last night and was helping the cops find scared little boys so he was obviously scared.”
Box Elder School District has protocols in place for drivers and aides of special needs buses. Superintendent Martell Menlove says, “Aides and drivers walk through the bus when unloading students at a school and they also walk through the bus before leaving the bus at the end of their routes.”
So what happened? We tried to talk with the bus driver. She wasn't home and family members were told not to make any comments.
For now, both driver and aide have been placed on leave until an investigation is completed. Snow says, “I'm hoping that this is a wake up call so this doesn't happen again cause it could have turned out a lot worse than it did.”
Menlove says the district is looking into modifying their protocols, possibly having some type of sign in sheet at the back of the bus forcing drivers and aides to complete their walk-throughs. .
Box Elder School District Statement
On Friday May 8, 2009 we had an unfortunate incident involving a five year old student who attends Box Elder School District's Early Learning Center. The student attends the afternoon session of preschool and fell asleep while on his way to preschool. Upon arriving at the preschool, the driver, and the aide assigned to the bus, escorted the students into the school and failed to notice this student asleep on one of the seats. Upon leaving the school, the driver and the aide got back on the bus and returned to their homes; the driver dropping the aide off at her home on the way. The driver parked the bus in the driveway and went inside the house. After the driver had left the bus, the student awoke, exited the bus and walked several blocks. A concerned citizen saw the student, ascertained that the student was not where he/she should be and called Tremonton police. The School District Transportation Office was notified at the same time. The parents of the student were immediately notified and apprised of what had happened. The student was taken by the police to the bus garage where the regularly assigned bus was met and the student was taken home.
I have talked with the mother of the child this morning. We discussed the condition of her child and we talked about returning to school. I told her that a different driver and aide would be on the bus today. The mother plans to drive her preschool today. Additional support has already been arranged to facilitate the student being back on the bus quickly, most likely on the return home trip today. We also discussed additional supports that will be made available to her child if needed. I also note that the mother praised the Early Learning Center and the great achievements her child has made while attending there.
Established protocol for Box Elder School District is that aides and drivers walk through the bus when unloading students at a school and that they also walk through the bus before leaving the bus at the end of their route.
The driver and aide have been placed on leave with the District. Action against their employment with Box Elder School District will be determined as our investigation is concluded.
We are grateful for the generally positive resolution to this unfortunate incident. We will continue our diligent efforts to assure the safety of the approximately 6,500 students transported daily by Box Elder School District.
-Box Elder School District Superintendent Martell Menlove
