Two Christina preschool students left on buses

Christina School District is investigating two separate cases in which preschool students were left behind on school buses.

In both cases, the boys were left on a bus after they were supposed to be dropped off at Christina Early Education Center, 620 E. Chestnut Hill Road. The first incident occurred Jan. 27, and the next one took place Wednesday.

The January incident was not reported to police because the child’s mother said school officials assured her procedures had been put in place to prevent this problem from recurring.

“They talked a good game to me, I can honestly say,” said Lyndsey Calvetti, whose 4-year-old son, Joseph, was left on the bus last month for about 90 minutes.“They told me this would never happen again.”

The assurances were given to her by the district’s transportation head, as well as the school’s principal.

Christina Superintendent Freeman Williams acknowledged both incidents and said the district is reviewing why procedures were not followed. Bus drivers and aides are required to inspect buses after their shifts to make sure children did not remain on it, according to district standards.

Christina also instituted new procedures Thursday to try to prevent this from occurring again. This includes taking a roster of bus passengers that can be passed on to teachers who would then compare it against students in class that day.

“We understand and respect completely the concerns that parents may have about the safety of young people,” Williams said. “Again, we accept the responsibility and understand that it’s incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to reflect that those things are occurring.”

Williams said these were the only two incidents that he is aware of.

The Wednesday incident occurred about 8:30 a.m., when the boy – who was not identified – was picked up by a Christina School District bus for classes at the Christina Early Education Center, state police Cpl. John Day said.

When the bus arrived at the school before 9:30 a.m., the boy did not get off the bus. The bus driver and an aide then drove back to the bus lot on Wyoming Road and parked, Day said.

Then about 2 p.m., another bus driver and aide discovered the boy asleep on the bus, he said.

The boy was returned to the Christina Early Education Center where he was examined by the school nurse and found to have no injuries. He was turned over to his mother, who had been contacted by the school about the incident, Day said.

“They need to get it together,” said Calvetti. “They’re little buses. I don’t think it’s that hard to check the bus after their shift.”

The incident remains under investigation by police.

The bus driver and aide have been placed on leave, Williams said.

Calvetti said it was “horrifying” when reading about Wednesday’s incident on delawareonline.com.

“I should have totally reported,” she said.

Contact Esteban Parra at 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3. Contact Terri Sanginiti at (302) 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com.