This week Jon Kerr from Magheradunbar, Enniskillen spoke out after his daughter Sophie was left alone on a school bus at the local Education Authority bus depot on the Sligo Road in Enniskillen. This was after both the bus driver and an escort assigned to special needs pupils failed in their duty to deliver the Willowbridge student to school.

 

Despite the incident taking place almost exactly a month ago on October 19 the family have still not been given an explanation on how this incident happened, nor have they been given assurances it will not happen again.

 

Mr Kerr explained that Sophie, who is mute, is a highly dependent child with the mind of a one year old and was sent off in her wheelchair on October 19, just like any other day. 

“We thought nothing more of it until half 12 we got a phone call from the headmistress of the school to say that Sophie had just arrived. We were light-hearted initially and thought nothing of it, but then when we thought more about it later on we realised this could have been more serious than it’s been made out to be.”

 

“What actually happened was the bus driver drove in, he dropped off two or three other children that weren’t wheelchair bound, they walked off the bus and went into the school. The escort apparently got a lift from the bus at the school into the town so she left Sophie unattended in the back of the bus. The driver then drove off with Sophie sitting in the back and went on to the bus depot on the Sligo Road.”

 

At around midday he discovered Sophie at the depot on the school bus and after contacting his line manager brought her to Willowbridge and the Kerr family were informed.

Mr Kerr admits the family have been left angry by the incident, outlining fears that Sophie could have suffered from hypothermia, had a seizure, as she requires regular medication or been abducted, with the gates of the bus depot wide open. “When you place your child on the school bus you expect her to be safely delivered to school not abandoned by the bus escort and forgotten about by the bus driver who then drove her to the local bus depot where she sat on her own in an empty bus for three hours without food, water, medication or attention. You wouldn’t even do that to a dog let alone to a defenceless mute and wheelchair bound child.”

 

A full investigation has been launched into the incident and Mr Kerr stated that he has been informed that both the bus driver and escort have since been suspended. The family still have many questions that have yet to be answered and would like to see a better system put in place at Willowbridge School.

“There’s no process in place to ask why this child was not in

 school and I know St Michael’s has a system in place that if a child’s not in school they text, email or contact a parent to ask why. So if they can do it for St Michael’s, why not at every other school?

 

“What we said to them was there should be processes in place that by quarter past 9 or a quarter to 10 if you don’t see the child a parent should be contacted by phone, text or email to alert them and ask if there’s something wrong or something wrong with the child.” 

 

Following the events of October 19 Sophie no longer travels by school bus, with a taxi coming to the door each day for school.

 

An Education Authority spokesman said: “The Education Authority is currently investigating a transport related incident which took place on 19 October 2015 involving a pupil travelling to Willowbridge School. 

 

“On becoming aware of this incident, the authority took immediate action and contacted the pupil’s parents to offer an unreserved apology. 

 

“EA regional managing director, Barry Mulholland has also written a formal letter of apology to the parents providing assurances that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent such an incident occurring again. 

 

“The safety and wellbeing of all pupils is the authority’s primary concern. The authority takes this incident very seriously and a robust investigation is ongoing including a full review of processes and safeguards relating to the transportation of pupils.”