EPISD bus driver, monitor resign after boy is mistakenly taken to bus yard

A school bus driver and a monitor have resigned their positions with the El Paso Independent School District after a 3-year-old boy fell asleep inside a bus and was mistakenly taken to the school bus facility, district officials confirmed Monday.

“For some reason, the bus driver and the monitor forgot about my kid. So my son, instead of being dropped off at school, he was was brought here to the transportation department,” David Lopez told ABC-7.

“They are not able to tell me how this happened, but my son was unaccounted for for at least two hours,” Lopez said, “Thank God the weather is nice and nothing happened to him.”

The boy was picked up from head start facility in West El Paso and was supposed to be dropped off at Hillside Elementary School, Lopez said. “The school did its job. They put my kid in the bus. The school bus driver and the monitor should have been more aware,” Lopez added.

The father told ABC-7 the district admitted it was at fault and apologized. “They said it was never going to happen again,” Lopez said, “I hope this doesn’t happen again to anybody.”

EPISD Community Engagement Director Gustavo Reveles Acosta emailed ABC-7 the following statement:

“A school bus taking students from a Head Start facility to Hillside Elementary School did not properly deliver a 3-year-old boy at around noon on Monday, April 3. The student had fallen asleep and remained on the bus until it reached the Boeing Drive bus facility following the route. The boy did not present any injuries and was picked up by his parents. The bus driver and bus monitor assigned to the route did not follow EPISD procedures put in place to make sure students do not remain on the bus following the end of the route. Both individuals have resigned from the District.”