NEW YORK — A 12-year-old special-needs student was hospitalized with a serious head injury after opening the exit door of a moving school bus and falling out, CBS New York reports.

In mid-October, A.J. Pediford opened the emergency door on a school bus, then fell or jumped to the ground, according to the news outlet. A veteran school bus driver told CBS New York the rear emergency door is never locked while students are on the bus, and that it’s not easy to open, but a 12-year-old could do it.

The bus company did not confirm with the news outlet whether a monitor was on the bus. Pediford’s grandmother said she told the New York City Department of Education the boy might act out on the long ride to the Bronx and that he has a history of acting out on the bus.

The Administration for Children’s Services said in a statement, “We are working with the foster care provider and other relevant parties to investigate the circumstances that led to this tragic incident,” according to the news outlet.

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