Special-Needs Teen Left on School Bus

CORVALLIS, Mont. — A school bus driver here left a 16-year-old student with special needs on a school bus after dropping off other students last month, Ravalli Republic reports.

On the morning of May 5, the bus driver reportedly left the girl, who has to wear a three-point harness to be stable while being transported, and is unable to remove it by herself, for “a significant amount of time,” Undersheriff Steve Holton told the newspaper. The Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department is investigating exactly how long the student was left on the bus.

Corvallis School District #1 Superintendent Tim Johnson told Ravalli Republic that the driver had forgotten that the student was on the bus, but when she realized that she was still on the bus, the student was immediately taken to school, and that the student missed about three hours of school. Johnson added that the bus driver immediately reported the incident to her supervisor and is on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.

The school district is reviewing how attendance information is shared between drivers and special services staff, and has modified the attendance process to include a two-way verification of student attendance and transportation to and from school, according to the newspaper.  

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