KEWASKUM - An investigation is underway in the Town of Kewaskum after a 4-year-old child was left unattended on a school bus following the completion of the child’s route on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Citing the child's age, the duration of unsupervised time, extreme vehicle temperatures, and the driver's failure to check the bus despite a known alarm issue, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is referring a child neglect charge to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office for review.
The bus driver, a 69-year-old man with nearly five years of experience as a school bus driver with Johnson Bus Service, was not taken into custody.
Child left on bus
The backstory:
The Kewaskum Police Department received a call at approximately 5:47 p.m. Wednesday from the child's mother, a Town of Kewaskum resident, after her child failed to arrive home.
Kewaskum police responded to the Johnson School Bus Service facility just outside the village, where they located the empty bus assigned to the child's route in the outdoor parking lot.
Upon investigating, the officer found the child inside the bus at approximately 6:18 p.m., noting that the child was visibly hot and partially clothed.
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Due to the outdoor conditions and the buses being closed and unoccupied, internal temperatures inside the buses were in excess of 100 degrees, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators believe the child fell asleep during the route and was unintentionally left behind, noting there is no evidence the driver acted intentionally or with the intent to harm.
Standard safety protocol
Dig deeper:
Deputies met with representatives from Johnson School Bus Service, who fully cooperated with the investigation.
A news release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office says the company has a standard safety protocol requiring buses to be checked at the completion of each route.
Investigators also learned the driver had previously reported a malfunction with the bus's electronic child reminder alarm system. The Child Check-Mate System is engineered to sound an audible alert once the bus engine is turned off, requiring the driver to walk the aisle and ensure no students remain on board.
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The system requires the driver to walk to the rear of the bus to manually disengage the alarm, providing an additional opportunity to inspect the entire interior for remaining children.
Johnson Bus Service had ordered replacement parts for the alarm prior to this incident.
During the investigation, the driver admitted that he did not conduct a manual check of the bus after completing the route, despite the malfunctioning alarm system.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.