Fremont Public Schools officials said an incident occurred Tuesday where a middle school student was left on a school bus after the bus driver and paraprofessional failed to follow district protocol.
The driver and paraprofessional were placed on administrative leave when the issue was brought to the attention of the administration. According to a press release, both are no longer employed by the school district. FPS also reported the incident to the Fremont Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.
“The district is saddened by this event and sincerely apologizes to the student, family and community,” FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard said. “As soon as the student was discovered on the bus the parent was contacted.”
Shepard stressed that the safety of students is the district’s highest priority.
“This isolated incident is not reflective of our transportation department, our protocols and standards,” he said. “There is no excuse for not following through on our most important mission – maintaining the safety and well being of our students.”
Safety protocols were reviewed prior to the school year starting with bus drivers and paraprofessionals during a training session. Specifically, the protocol of walking the bus at the end of the route was re-emphasized nine days ago when a similar situation in a neighboring school district was in the news.
The district transports more than 600 students to and from school each day. Shepard said drivers and paraprofessionals take their jobs very seriously.
“We hear about these types of incidents in other school districts more often than we should,” he said. “We can do better and will.”
