A Rhode Island school bus driver and safety monitors got the boot after leaving a 4-year-old boy stranded inside an empty bus in a bus yard, according to reports.
North Kingstown school officials fired the employees following an internal district investigation into the mishap on Tuesday when the youngster was left behind, WBTS-TV News reported.
The staffers reportedly forgot the child, who was part of an extended school program, after the bus completed its route and was parked in the vehicle depot.
The young boy, who was unharmed, eventually found his way off the bus and an employee at the bus yard spotted him.
The school officials determined that mandatory safety procedures were ignored.
“This troubling situation was both shocking and unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of safety and care we uphold throughout the district,” North Kingstown School Department Superintendent Kenneth Duva wrote in a letter to parents, according to the local outlet.
“We are deeply sorry this incident occurred,” he wrote.
Duva said the district was putting new measures in place, including more training for drivers and monitors and beefed-up requirements for safety checks, including the use of technology.
He said the school district also notified the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families about the incident, although police said no criminal charges have been filed.
The employees who were fired were not identified.
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