School Bus Driver Accused of Leaving Student Alone on Bus

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — A school bus driver allegedly failed to check her bus after her route and left a student on board last week, police said.

On Dec. 21, a child who was being transported to his school in the Shippensburg Area School District by a bus driver for BOYO Bus Transportation Services fell asleep on the bus, according to a news release from the Shippensburg Police Department.

Police said that when the bus driver, Penny Rae Kirby, finished her route and parked the bus at her home, she looked back but failed to check the seats and left the child on the bus, The Sentinel reports.

The child woke up, discovered that he was on the bus alone, and walked off the bus and into Kirby’s yard. A neighbor heard the boy yelling for help, brought him to their home, and called police, according to the news release. The boy was then transported to his school.

An affidavit of probable cause filed by Shippensburg Police stated that Kirby was “very upset” and did not intend to leave the child on the bus, according to The Sentinel. Kirby told police that she thought she saw the boy exit the bus when they arrived at the school, the newspaper reports.

Kirby is being charged with endangering the welfare of a child.