3-year-old boy left on bus during school, mother claims

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A 3-year-old boy was left alone on a Head Start bus Tuesday morning in Rock Hill, his mother said.

The family was upset because no one was answering their concerns so Eyewitness News reporter Greg Suskin asked officials what happened.

Tamara Walls, the boy's father, said she didn’t get a call about the incident until after 2 p.m., when school was already dismissed.

Walls said that at some point, her son's teacher noticed he wasn't in class.

"The teacher and the school bus driver went back to the bus, and Kendall was still on the bus asleep," Walls said.

There are 268 children ages 3 to 5 years old who attend the Head Start program at that location.

Walls was concerned that the bus driver didn't walk the aisle to make sure no children were left on the bus.

She assumes her son was on the bus all day.

Staff members at the Head Start program were not allowed to answer Suskin’s questions Wednesday and referred him to Carolina Community Action, which runs the program.

"After ensuring the child was safe, the appropriate authorities were notified of the incident,” a CCA spokeswoman said in a statement. “We are currently investigating the issue to determine the failure to adhere to procedures. Once the investigation has concluded, the appropriate actions will be taken."

Walls removed her son from the program and she says he won't return next year.

Suskin asked CCA officials how long the child was left on the bus, if the driver is still driving for them and if there will be consequences. None of those questions were answered because of their ongoing investigation.

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