A 4-year-old boy who was left in a school bus for hours Thursday morning ended up outside the driver’s home in Newnan, authorities said.

The pre-kindergarten student at Jefferson Parkway Elementary had fallen asleep on the bus while students were dropped off, Coweta County School System spokesman Dean Jackson wrote in an emailed statement.

According to Jackson, the driver did not see the boy inside the vehicle, even after returning home and parking the bus at their residence a few miles away from the school around 7:45 a.m.

“The student remained on the bus for about two hours, it appears, and then exited the bus and began walking down the street,” Jackson said.

A construction worker contacted police after spotting the boy on Jefferson Street, near the driver’s home, school officials reported.

Officers returned the 4-year-old to the school and contacted his parents, Jackson confirmed. The boy was later reunited with his mother.

Statement from Deputy Chief Mark Cooper of the Newnan Police Department RE: Child Left on School Bus "The Newnan...

Posted by Newnan Police Department on Thursday, November 19, 2020

“Unless new developments arise, no criminal intent has been determined,” Newnan police Deputy Chief Mark Cooper wrote in a Facebook post. “No charges have been filed and Coweta County School System is handling the incident administratively.”

The bus driver has been placed on administrative leave while the school system investigates, Jackson said.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

In other news:

About the Author

Keep Reading

As the violence at Macon State Prison has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now finds itself dealing with an unexpected and costly burden: more than $100,000 in unpaid bills. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Laurence Walker, a volunteer with the Cajun Navy Relief, left, takes two volunteers out on his boat on Lake Oconee to search for Gary Jones, Tuesday, February, 18, 2024, in Eatonton, Ga. The Putnam County sheriff is investigating and searching after Spelman College instructor Joycelyn Nicole Wilson and an Atlanta private school coach Gary Jones went missing on Lake Oconee over a week ago, Saturday Feb. 8th. The body of Wilson was found Sunday, Feb. 9th and Jones has not been found. (Jason Getz / AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com