WINCHESTER, Ky. — According to a sheriff’s report, a 6-year-old boy with cerebral palsy was dragged about 15 feet by a school bus in mid-January, and the driver was distracted during the incident, WKYT reports.
Fire officials said the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, outside the boy’s daycare center, according to the news outlet. Lisa Clem, the director of the daycare center, told WKYT that she was helping the boy deboard the bus because he is unable to walk on his own. When the driver pulled away from the stop, Clem fell to the ground and the boy was dragged face down on the street. Clem added that she thought the boy’s jacket got caught in a groove in the bottom step of the bus, the news outlet reports.
Clark County Superintendent Paul Christy told WKYT investigators would review surveillance video from the bus and decide how to proceed. The driver is not allowed to drive a school bus until the district completes an internal investigation, according to the news outlet.
Christy added that the child did not require hand-to-hand contact between the bus driver and the student's guardian; however, bus drivers are supposed to get visual confirmation that the student made it safely to their destination.
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Special-needs student dragged by bus
A 6-year-old boy with cerebral palsy was dragged about 15 feet as he was deboarding, possibly due to his jacket getting caught in a groove in the bus’ bottom step. The bus driver was distracted when the incident happened, according to a sheriff’s report.
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