Local 6 Yr Old Abandoned on Bus, Walks to School Cold and Alone
Two weeks ago, Fonda-Fultonville Central School District (FFCSD) employee and mother Dominique Boomhower endured her “worst nightmare” after her 6-year-old son Cameron was left unattended after falling asleep on the school bus. After waking up, he went to school alone in the cold. The bus driver failed to check the vehicle for the remaining children after they stopped, leaving immediately after parking (CBS 6 Albany). The worst part? Cameron was sitting directly behind the driver’s seat, so the whole ordeal could have been prevented if the bus driver had just turned around.
Joshua Hoehne via Unsplash
Fortunately, CBS 6 Albany reports that an employee saw the child walking to school and helped get him to class safely. However, Cameron did not reveal the specifics of what had happened to him, only that he was going to school and would be late for class. Because of this, Dominique didn’t find out until hours later as school officials were initially unaware of the situation.
They need to have better communication. They need to step up their game because, like I said, this is everyone’s worst nightmare to happen to their child and the school needs to do a better job of keeping track of their kids. -Dominique Boomhower (CBS 6 Albany)
CDC via Unsplash
In a statement to CBS 6 Albany, FFCSD states that once administration was notified of the incident, an investigation was conducted and the district contacted Cameron’s parent. The investigation revealed that the bus driver, an employee of Student Transportation of America (STA), did not follow proper safety protocols. As a result, the driver will no longer transport district students.
Student safety is a top priority and we take this incident seriously. We have reviewed all procedures and policies in place to ensure the health and safety of our students and will continue to do so to ensure that such an incident never occurs again. -Fonda-Fultonville Central School District (CBS 6 Albany)
Nick Jenkins via Unsplash
Echoing the school district’s statements, Student Transportation of America comments, saying the driver did not follow mandatory protocols and has since been terminated (CBS 6 Albany).
We are committed to providing Fonda-Fultonville Central School District students with safe transportation services and will continue our focus on advancing our safety and training protocols to ensure they meet and exceed industry standards. -America’s Student Transportation (CBS 6 Albany)
It’s lucky the situation didn’t end worse than it did and Cameron is safe and sound. You can watch CBS 6 Albany’s coverage of the incident here:
Skoolie bus conversion
Explore the abandoned high school at Albany’s Kenwood Monastery
As we can see from the photo tour, there is some magnificent architecture, window frames, and even old wall murals depicting a journey down the Hudson River from the city of Albany to New York City.
The latest relics are some tools, ladders and construction equipment left at the scene, but there are some other quite interesting finds, including an early flat screen television, some antique door and window frames and a pool table in good condition. almost perfect.
Surprisingly, this is one of those abandoned places that has remained relatively untouched by vandals and graffiti artists. Let’s hope it stays that way until a new use for the property is determined. For now, it sits in legal limbo awaiting renovation and rehabilitation. Enjoy the tour!
Snow Management Tips from an Upstater
Brought to you by Holly Welles at Grit.com, here are nine tips for managing snow in Upstate NY.
