A six-year-old UKG student at Amity International School, Noida, was found inside a stopped school bus on Thursday, hours after he failed to reach school, alarming parents and raising questions about transport safety protocols.
Details of the incident emerged after a message went viral in parents’ WhatsApp groups, describing how the child had boarded the school bus in the morning but did not reach the campus and was later found at a bus stand in a remote area of Noida, about 25 km from the school.
According to the letter, when the bus returned in the afternoon and the child did not drop off at his residential community, the family contacted the school and was informed that he had been marked absent on the class attendance record, while he had been marked present on the bus attendance record. The letter also claimed that no alert or report was sent to the parents regarding the child’s absence from school.
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The child was later found in a bus park and was reunited with his parents. The letter claimed that he had been inside the car for several hours in extremely hot conditions. HT was unable to independently verify the exact length of time the child remained on the bus.
Reacting to the incident, Amity International School, Noida, in a statement issued by its principal Renu Singh, said the school administration was informed of an incident involving a student who remained on board a school bus after a vehicle change necessitated by an unexpected mechanical issue.
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The statement read: “When the matter was brought to our attention, immediate action was taken. The child, who fell asleep during transport, was located without delay and was safely reunited with his parents. We are pleased to confirm that the student was unharmed.”
She added that the safety, security and well-being of students remains the school’s top priority, and that the administration took note of the incident seriously. She added: “A comprehensive review of transfer protocols has begun, strict measures are being taken to ensure accountability, and additional safeguards are being strengthened to prevent any recurrence.”
