A 4-year-old girl was left alone on a school bus for about six hours before she was found at a transportation lot last Thursday, according to her family and a Crowley ISD police incident report.
The girl’s mother shared a photo of her daughter, Jahlyrika Keys, with NBC DFW.
According to the family, Jahlyrika was supposed to be dropped off at her elementary school, about 10 minutes from the district’s bus barn, but she never arrived. They also said they were not notified that she had missed school until one to two hours after classes began.
Medical records shared with NBC DFW by the family show Jahlyrika was diagnosed with “abandoned child” and “at risk for hyperthermia.”
Crowley ISD said the 53-year-old bus driver was immediately removed from service and fired following the incident.
Crowley ISD’s buses are operated by Durham School Services, and they described the incident as a “serious breakdown in established safety procedures.”
In a statement, the district said:
“Crowley ISD and Durham School Services are committed to maintaining the trust families place in us every day. This incident represents a serious breakdown in established safety procedures, and we are conducting a comprehensive review and taking steps to reinforce the safeguards designed to protect every student in our care.
Based on the information gathered so far, a pre-kindergarten student remained on a bus after morning transportation services had concluded. The student was later located in the Durham transportation lot by an employee, immediately secured, evaluated by medical personnel, and reunited with family.
The driver involved in this incident failed to follow protocol and the student should never have been left alone. The driver was immediately removed from service, and their employment has been terminated.
In response to this incident, Crowley ISD and Durham School Services have initiated a comprehensive review of transportation procedures, documentation, staff training, and compliance with established child-check protocols. Additionally, transportation employees have been required to review and acknowledge child-check procedures before returning to service. The district and Durham are also evaluating additional safeguards and oversight measures to further strengthen student transportation safety.
We are grateful the student was located safely. While the investigation is ongoing, we remain committed to identifying all contributing factors and implementing any corrective actions necessary to help prevent this from ever happening again.”
The family said they plan to speak publicly after meeting with an attorney to discuss their next steps.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
