Mayor resigns as bus driver after missing sleeping boy

John Tompkins worked as a school bus driver to supplement his income as mayor of small town McKee, Ky. He tells a local newspaper that on Tuesday, he may have been preoccupied with his mayoral duties when he accidentally left a 5-year-old on his bus.

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February 21, 2013

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MCKEE, Ky. — The mayor of McKee has resigned from his second job as a school bus driver after accidentally leaving a child unattended on his bus, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

John Tompkins told the newspaper that he is paid only about $500 per month for his role as mayor of McKee, which has a population of around 800 people. He has also been working as a school bus driver for five years.

On Tuesday afternoon, Tompkins missed a 5-year-old boy who was sleeping on the bus at the end of the run and was then discovered by another driver after he woke up. Tompkins told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he may have been distracted by thinking about his mayoral duties and that "when children are involved and you've got that much on your mind, then there's nothing else you can do" but resign.

To read the full story, click here.

Other articles related to checking for sleeping students:

• Child-check devices: a vital reminder

• Driver, monitor fired for leaving student behind on bus

Topics:Kentucky post-trip child check Management Safety

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