A young pre-kindergarten student in Crowley was reportedly left alone on a school bus for nearly six hours last Thursday, sparking outrage after she was finally discovered inside a transportation yard, far from her elementary school.
According to the child’s family and an incident report filed by Crowley Independent School District police, 4-year-old Jahlyrika Keys never made it to her classroom that morning. Her school was only about a 10-minute drive from the bus depot, yet she remained unnoticed on the vehicle for hours. Her mother said the family wasn’t alerted that she had missed school until one to two hours after the day had already begun.
Medical documentation obtained by the family reportedly listed her condition as an abandoned child who was at risk of hyperthermia, raising serious concerns about how long she may have been exposed to heat inside the parked bus.
The district confirmed that the 53-year-old driver responsible was pulled from duty immediately and later terminated. Crowley ISD’s transportation services are run through a third-party contractor, and officials called the incident a serious lapse in the safety systems meant to protect students.
In a public statement, the district said a pre-K student had stayed on the bus after morning routes had ended, and was eventually found by a staff member at the transportation lot, then checked by medical personnel before being reunited with her family. Officials said the driver did not follow required safety protocol and should never have left a child unattended.
Since the incident, the district says it has launched a full review of its transportation procedures, staff training, and child-check compliance. All transportation employees have reportedly been required to re-confirm their understanding of safety protocols before returning to work, and additional oversight measures are being considered.
The family says they are relieved Jahlyrika was found safe, but plan to speak out publicly only after consulting with an attorney about their next steps.