LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Lowell say a kindergarten student was left alone on a school bus Monday morning for five hours. Sources tell 7News that bus driver was immediately fired.
Officers responded around 1:15 p.m. to the McAvinnue Elementary School on Mammoth Road for a report of a student who had been left on a bus earlier in the morning.
Authorities say a driver for the Dracut-based SPNR Transportation completed a morning route, which included a drop off at the school, before returning home with the bus.
The driver found a 5-year-old on board the bus five hours later when he began his afternoon route, according to police. Temperatures reached 82 degrees on Monday.
Sources say the driver was seen on bus surveillance cameras not following protocol. Police say the driver did not check to see if students were still on board.
The child was evaluated by the school nurse and found to be well.
The Department of Children and Families and the Lowell School Department were notified. The incident is under investigation.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)