Bus driver fired after disabled student locked in school bus for 6 hours

A Toronto school bus driver has been fired after a young disabled woman was locked inside a bus for six hours, something the school board calls "completely unacceptable" and that has angeredthemother of the 19-year-old student.

The bus driver was first suspended after LauraMastachecomplained about how her daughter, Wendy Mastache,wasleft inside itlast week.

Laura Mastache told CBC Toronto that the incident has left the student "traumatized," and "she doesn't want to get in the bus."

Wendy Mastache, whohas both autism and epilepsy,has difficulty communicating. She can't read or write duetodevelopmental delays, and doesn't talk much.

Mom complains after disabled daughter left on bus

8 years ago

Duration 0:30

Laura Mastache complained about how her daughter, Wendy Mastache, who has both autism and epilepsy was left inside a school bus for six hours last week .

Mastache said her daughter has refused to return to school since the incident happened last week.

Stock Transportation is the bus company contracted by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

Bus driver initially suspended, now terminated following investigation

The company released a statement, after a story by CBC News.

"The safety of our students is our top priority; our drivers are required to conduct a child check to look for students at the end of each route."

The statement continues: "In this instance, the procedure was not followed and the driver has been terminated."

'What happened during those 6hours?'

Early Jan. 23, her mothersays, a school bus driver somehow didn't see her daughter on the bus, where she wasleft for six hours after locking the vehicle and walking away.

"I was panicked," said Laura Mastache,her voice shaking. "What happened during those six hours? No one really knows."

What shedoes know is that at the end of the school day, she received a call that Wendy hadn't been in class all day.

Strangely, however,the girl did appear outside her school York Humber High School, which is on Emmett Avenue near Jane Street and Eglinton Avenue West after classes ended.

Ateacher saw the studentgetting off the bus at that time, her mothersaid.

The bus driver then drove the teen home.

Student spent day alone on bus

After Wendy arrived home, her motherimmediately questioned the bus driver, but said she didn't receive any answers, soshe headed to the school.

She said school officials viewed security video and confirmed her daughter never entered the school that day, despite other students confirming she had been on the bus in the morning.

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Every morning, the bus driver first droppedoff the other students at York Humber's main doors. They are all part of the school'smain programming stream.

Then, the driver would normally drivearound to the back of the school to drop off Wendy Mastache for her specialized program.

But thatdidn't happen on Jan. 23, and the studentspent the day alone on the bus, which was left parked outside a building in an industrial area.

Toronto Police found the incident was not criminal

Toronto police confirmed they initially investigated, but found that the case did not warrant criminal charges. They saidthe driver was in tears and apologetic. Shetold them she was headed to a funeral following her morning bus run and was distracted as she locked the bus.

The temperature was just above freezing that day, rising to a high of 4 C. Mastache said during the bus ride, her daughter wasn't wearing gloves, a hat or a scarf.

Mastache shuddered, thinking about the cold and still wondering if her daughter may have had an epileptic seizure that day.More than a week later, she haspieced together some parts of what likely went wrong, but still has questions.

"So how was my daughter in the bus? Six hours. No drinking, no eating, not going to the bathroom."

Asshe spoke to CBC Toronto,Mastache'sdaughter reachedover and grabbed her mother's hand or touchedher face. The teenager at one point puther head down on the kitchen table where the two satside by side.

Concerns about 'vulnerable' students

Mastachesays the school board has offered other options, such as sending a van to pick up her daughter. ButMastachesays Wendy, once eager every morning to go to school, now refuses.

Her mother says she hasonly succeeded once since the incident in persuadingWendy to put on her school uniform,after which the teen burstinto tears.

Mastachehadone piece of advice for theTDSB.

She said a call to parents is needed as soon as it's noticed that a child is not in school.

Until now, board policy only resulted in an automated call for students under the age of 18.

"That's wrong," she says. "Especially because [these students]are vulnerable."

TDSBspokesmanRyan Bird says as a result of this incident, the board has now changed its policy.

Parents of all students with special needswill receive an automated call if the student does not show up forschool regardless of age.

Bird says all companies with contracts to the school board have been reminded that drivers must do a full visual check of their busbefore locking it.

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