Special Needs Students Left Alone On Bus, Driver Charged: NHPD

NEW HAVEN, CT — A school bus driver was arrested after she left two students with special needs alone on a bus for at least a half an hour Thursday, according to police.

A 16-year-old on the bus called his mother to tell her he was locked in a bus and the driver left him and another student alone, said Officer David Hartman, police spokesman. The mother tracked her son's location through his phone and drove to the bus location on Woodward Avenue. She then called police.

Officers arrived and found that the bus wasn't running and all windows were closed except for the driver's window which was slightly cracked. The temperature outside was 90 degrees with high humidity.

The other student is a 17-year-old girl who is non-verbal. Officers located her father and brought him to the scene, Hartman said. To sign up for New Haven breaking news alerts and more, click here.

"Though there were no obvious signs of physical illness or injury to either student, EMTs were summoned to check them out," Hartman said. "The male student has autism. The female student suffers from multiple health disorders. She was later taken to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital to be further evaluated. She was released after being checked out."

Eventually police were able to call the bus driver who returned to the bus. Marlina Monroy, 53, of New Haven told police she was unaware students were still on the bus. She was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor. The Department of Children and Families was notified per protocol and a case was opened.

"Officials from the New Haven Board of Education have said there were several clear violations of protocol, committed by the driver. First Student Bus Company has been cooperating with the BOE investigation into this matter," Hartman said.

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