Boy with autism left on school bus for hours; driver fired

LOWELL, Mass. — A school bus driver in Lowell has been fired after a five year old autistic boy was left on alone for hours on a hot school bus.

The boy, who is not being identified, was left on the bus for five hours Monday as temperatures soared to nearly 90 degrees.

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The boy’s parents, who did not want to be identified, told Boston 25 News that their son takes a special education bus to kindergarten at McAvinnue Elementary School every day.

A Lowell School Committee member said the driver failed to check the bus after dropping students off at school Monday and only realized he was still on board when he went back later in the day to pick students up.

“I was very overwhelmed and I was heartbroken,” the boy’s father said. “That was something I did not expect. We put him on the bus and the whole time we thought he was in school. But he wasn’t in school. He was trapped on a bus.”

The boy’s father said his son was dehydrated when he was found, and because he is autistic he was unable to express what happened or how he was feeling.

The driver has since been fired, and the school committee member Boston 25 News spoke with said they are looking at additional measures to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Cox Media Group