Driver allegedly left special-needs kids alone on bus without air conditioning

VERNON, N.J. — CBS New York reports that a Sussex County school bus driver may face criminal charges after allegedly leaving two special-needs students inside a hot bus for nearly an hour.

Vernon Township Schools Superintendent Charles Maranzano told CBS New York that when a parent called to find out where his child was, the school board called Macnova, the bus company contracted to transport summer program students. When they couldn’t reach the contractor, they called police. Police said they found the bus outside the home of the bus company owner, according to the news outlet.

The children, ages 7 and 9, had been trapped inside the bus for more than 45 minutes with the windows up and no air conditioning. The children were reported to have been dehydrated but otherwise unharmed, according to CBS New York.

Maranzano told the news outlet, “When we asked the bus company to explain, they said the bus driver had an emergency and the children were on an air-conditioned bus, they were attended to by an adult, and we found out very quickly that was not the case.” The district and the prosecutor’s office are reviewing that account to determine whether there will be charges. Charges may include endangering the welfare of a child and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person, according to CBS New York. Investigators are reviewing videotape from inside the bus.

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