Oregon school bus driver loses job after sick child told to get off

SALEM, Ore. – A school bus driver no longer has his job after he allegedly told a sick child to get off his bus.

The diabetic child was left several blocks from his house the morning of Oct. 7, according to his mother, Leigh Nowning.

The 12-year-old used his cell phone to call her. She picked him up and later took him to a hospital emergency room.

"If my son had not had that cell phone, he'd be dead," Nowning said.

The Salem-Keizer School District would not release the driver's name, citing privacy issues.

District officials declined to comment, and refused to say whether the driver quit or was fired. But school district officials confirmed the man no longer worked for the district as of Wednesday.

Nowning said she viewed a school district surveillance video from the bus Thursday. On the tape, she said she saw the bus stop as children told the driver her son was throwing up. Her son walked up the aisle to tell the driver he was ill.

"The guy just said 'Get off the bus, then,"' Nowning said.

She picked up her son about six blocks away from their home. She said he is a Type 1 diabetic, and a home test showed his blood-sugar levels were high. They went to the emergency room for treatment.

"He was passing out when he stood up," she said. "His metabolic system was in shock, and it doesn't take much longer for a person to go into a coma, followed by death."

School district spokesman Jay Remy said there is a protocol bus drivers follow when children are ill on district buses.

Drivers must first ask if the student is OK. Then they are supposed to determine how sick the child may be.

If the illness is considered "moderate," the bus driver is to proceed to the child's school or home, depending on the direction they are traveling. If the child's condition is worse the driver is to call 911 or contact a dispatcher for help while giving first aid.

Nowning said it was clear from the video that the driver did nothing for her son. She said she will consider a lawsuit and ask for a criminal investigation.

School district officials said they were investigating.