Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 10, 1995                   TAG: 9505100045
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

8-YEAR-OLD BOY IS OVERLOOKED ON SCHOOL BUS

The school bus didn't stop in front of Sandra Coleman's house on Hamilton Terrace in Southwest Roanoke Monday afternoon.

Her son, Joey, a second-grader at Fishburn Park Elementary School, was supposed to be on the bus. She had been waiting for him, looking out the window for his bus.

Coleman was terrified. She called her husband, Tim, at work. He called the school, but no one there knew where Joey was.

Fishburn Park called the school bus lot on Courtland Road Northeast. The driver of Joey's bus had already parked his bus and left. He had not said anything about the child.

Transportation officials went to the bus, opened the door, and found Joey slumped over in a seat, asleep - 45 minutes after he was due home.

Chauncey Logan, transportation director for the schools, said Tuesday that the driver didn't see 8-year-old Joey when he came to the boy's house, the last stop on the bus route

"We have high seats on the buses and you can't see children who are down in the seats unless you walk up and down the aisle," Logan said.

The driver proceeded to the bus lot when he didn't see the child. Logan would not identify him, but described him as a "good and very responsible driver."

Still, Logan said the driver failed to go through a check list every driver must go through when he finishes a route - including looking to see if there are any children still on the bus.

"It was a human error," Logan said. "They are supposed to check after each route, morning and afternoon."

Logan said he is considering disciplinary action in the case, but the driver was on the job Tuesday. He said he will check with the schools' personnel office before disciplining the driver.

Joey's mother believes the driver should be suspended to make him realize the seriousness of his failure to check the bus at the end of the route.

"The school people said they were sorry this happened, but they didn't seem too concerned," she said.

But Logan said the school system takes it seriously, and he will re-emphasize to all drivers that they must check for children still on buses at the end of each route.

Sandra Coleman said she had heard the driver was rushing to get to his second job. Logan confirmed that the driver has a second job, but said he was home when school officials called him Monday afternoon.

Joey apparently fell asleep on the bus because he was exhausted from a field trip to Explore Park, where the children did a lot of walking.

Joey was still recovering Tuesday. He didn't want to board the bus Tuesday morning, but his parents persuaded him to get on.

"This really tore us all up," Sandra Coleman said.

The Colemans had to go to the bus lot pick up their son.His mother said he is a deep sleeper, so she's not surprised he didn't wake up. She said she was up and down all Monday night with bad dreams. "I have chronic fatigue syndrome and I'm not supposed to get upset."