Naughty Bus Driver Leaves Sleeping 5 Year-old Kindergartener on Bus

[picapp src=”3/c/7/7/Now__Then_2ff4.jpg?adImageId=5885376&imageId=4201269″ width=”380″ height=”255″ /]

Another sleeping little African-American child has been abandoned on a bus, but this time, unlike the Xavier Nelson case in Los Angeles, it was not the mother who did it, but in this case that happened in Philly, it was the Bus driver who left the child alone and frightened on the bus.

Timothy Bottoms was picked up at his bus stop in Knoxville and headed to Pittsburgh Fulton Elementary in Highland Park when he evidently fell asleep, said Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh.

The driver, Carlos Torres, 38, dropped off the rest of the kids at the school and then returned home to Suismon Street and parked the bus. At about 8:30 a.m., a neighbor saw the boy knocking on doors asking for help. The neighbor called 911.

“The drivers are supposed to check their buses before they leave them to make sure no children are left behind,” Pugh said.Pittsburgh Schools Police took Timothy to school, where he was “in class and doing well” this afternoon, Pugh said.

Pittsburgh Public Schools police have charged a school bus driver with child endangerment after a 5-year-old kindergarten student was left in the driver’s parked bus after falling asleep.

Bus driver 38-year-old Carlos Torres, of Pittsburgh, was  suspended by the bus company, W.L. Roenick Excavating and Transportation of Cheswick. Officials there say they won’t take more action against Torres until the criminal charge is resolved.

The boy’s mother is calling for a full suspension of his Bus drivers license, and would like it to be in perpetuity.

Here is a link to a T.V. news report on this troubling story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZilnec0A4k

This is an all too common occurence, if you can believe it or not. While doing my research for this story, I came across several recent cases that happened within the past year. Here is a report on one that happened September 4th, of this year:

Let’s hope that the school bus drivers across the country are more diligent in their efforts to assure the safety of our children, while in their care.