Overview
- A pre-kindergarten student remained on a Crowley ISD bus after morning drop-offs and was later found in the Durham School Services transportation lot where an employee secured the child.
- Crowley ISD and contractor Durham School Services said the driver failed to follow required child-check procedures and the driver’s employment was terminated.
- Medical personnel evaluated the child and the student was reunited with family; the family shared records showing diagnoses listed as “abandoned child” and “at risk for hyperthermia.”
- The district and Durham launched a comprehensive review of transportation documentation and oversight, required all transportation staff to re-acknowledge child-check protocols, and ordered retraining before employees return to service.
- The family plans to consult an attorney as the investigation continues and reporting highlights extreme North Texas heat and state data showing a high incidence of hot-vehicle child deaths that underscore the risks of such failures.