Charges have been filed against an Indian Lake School staff member after a student was left on a district bus after getting picked up for school.
Robin King, a district bus driver, has been charged with child endangering after an elementary school student was left on the bus before the start of the Tuesday, March 21, school day.
Officers of the Washington Township Police Department filed the charge after conducting an investigation into the matter on Tuesday.
“We commend the Indian Lake Schools Administration for their handling of the situation (in which) a student was left on the bus after the route was complete,” Washington Township Police Chief Michael Thompson said. “The administration was immediately in touch with our agency and responded appropriately.
“Due to the seriousness of the situation, our agency immediately began an investigation into the matter. As a result of our investigation, the staff member was criminally charged.”
In a statement from the school, Superintendent Dr. Rob Underwood called the situation “unacceptable.”
“We take this situation very seriously. Our staff member did not meet our expectations and it is unacceptable. We will work to do better,” the superintendent wrote in a statement posted to the district’s website.
King has resigned her position with the district, according to the school’s statement.
King reportedly failed to manually check the bus for children at the end of her route, and instead directed another student to press a “child check button.”
When bus drivers turn the bus off at the end of a route, a low-tone alarm warning sounds inside the bus.
The driver proceeds to the back of the bus and presses this button to cancel the alarm warning to confirm that all children are off the bus.
The boy was found on the bus by administrators after he was reported absent by the school to his parent, who contacted elementary school staff and informed them the boy got on the bus that morning.
Chief Thompson said, “this isn’t a district mistake. It was an employee mistake that was deemed criminal.”
A parent picked up the boy from school shortly after he was located on the bus.
King was not arrested but issued a court summons to face the charge.