A daycare bus driver in Forney is facing criminal charges after a 5-year-old girl was allegedly left inside a locked bus for about two hours during triple-digit heat.
Jessica Smith-Ward, 37, has been charged with child abandonment and endangerment in connection with the August 14 incident at Arka Montessori on Pinson Road, according to Forney police.
Girl Was Reportedly Asleep on Bus
The girl’s family said a bus operated by the daycare picked her up from school during her first week of school. Her family’s attorney, Michael Collier, said the child fell asleep during the ride and was not noticed after the bus arrived at the daycare.
The family said the girl remained inside the locked vehicle while it was parked on the daycare property.
Police confirmed the incident and said they arrested one person in the case. The police report is heavily redacted because it involves a minor.
Family Discovered Child Was Missing
The situation was discovered when the girl’s older sister arrived at the daycare to pick her up and learned that the 5-year-old was not inside the building.
The sister contacted their mother, and the two began searching the campus. According to Collier, the mother and daughter eventually spotted the child through a bus window after seeing the red bandana she had been wearing.
The child had gotten up inside the bus and began responding after hearing her mother’s voice, according to the family’s attorney.
Child Treated for Dehydration
The girl was taken to a hospital following the incident, where her family said she was treated for dehydration.
Her family has not publicly identified her. Her father, Sorie Tejan, said the experience has been traumatic for the family and that his daughter now associates the daycare with what happened.
“I need justice for my daughter. I need justice,” Tejan said, NBC 5 DFW reported.
The family said they are speaking publicly about the incident to warn other parents and push for greater safeguards.
Family Calls for Accountability
Collier said childcare providers transporting children are expected to account for children in their care and argued that procedures should prevent a child from being left behind inside a vehicle.
The family’s pastor, the Rev. Silvanos Chapman, said relatives are grateful the girl survived.
Her mother, Tidankay Tejan, said she hopes no other family experiences a similar incident.
“The only thing I can say is I don’t want this to happen to anybody, because the nightmare is just too much,” she said, per NBC 5.
