A young boy with special needs was left alone in a school van Tuesday morning for close to three hours, according to police.
The 4-year-old boy was found dehydrated inside the van at the Friendship Circle Early Childhood Center in the 700 block of Emily Avenue in the Croydon section of Bristol Township around noon.
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The van was operated by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. IU Director of Strategic Services JoAnn Perotti said the driver has been suspended from her job following the incident.
“The driver did not follow BCIU protocol and left the child unattended in his car seat,” a statement from the IU said.
Township police officials confirmed to LevittownNow.com that an investigation into the incident is underway. No charges have been filed against the driver of press time.
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According to police, the boy was picked up from Bensalem Tuesday morning and loaded into the van along with other kids. The van was unloaded at the center, but the 4-year-old child was not removed from his car seat. The van driver returned to their home in Bensalem and was unaware there was still a child in the vehicle, police said.
The child was discovered as the van was re-loaded at the center around noon when the morning session had ended, police said.
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“The child was immediately removed from the van, given liquids and attended to by the BARC nurse,” according to a statement from the IU. BARC operates the Friendship Circle Early Childhood Center.
Medics were called and the child was rushed to Lower Bucks Hospital. Lt. Guy Sava said the child was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The IU statement said the child was treated for dehydration and later returned to the care of their parents.
The air temperature in nearby Trenton was registered as 82 degrees around the time the child was found, according to the National Weather Center. It is known that temperatures inside vehicles on warm weather can quickly rise.
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From the IU statement:
The safety of the children in our care is of the utmost concern and focus of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. All BCIU drivers are instructed to check the vehicle after all students are dropped off at every location. The Intermediate Unit does not tolerate conduct inconsistent with this policy and our core values which stress safety for all children. All Bucks County Intermediate Unit employees must follow through on their critical responsibility; follow IU policy or face disciplinary action.
Police said the driver was was not operating her normal vehicle.
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“We regret that this happened. Transporting precious children each day to and from school requires careful planning and coordination,keeping student safety at the forefront. This incident was an exception and not at all typical of our staff. We will continue to train employees and are confident they will enforce procedures to keep our children safe,” according to the IU statement.
