By Fatma Younis
A New York school bus driver was arrested Tuesday after a 5-year-old child was dragged along a road when the child's backpack became caught in the bus door, authorities said.
Driver charged with reckless endangerment
Tasha Van Dayne, 37, of Clinton, New York, was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred Monday on Van Dayne's afternoon route while driving a 2023 full-size IC Bus for the Clinton Central School District.
Child suffered minor injuries
Authorities responded to reports that a child was being dragged by the bus shortly after several children were let off at a residence. Van Dayne closed the door as the last child exited, trapping the backpack in the doors. The child was dragged "a distance" before the bus stopped and suffered minor injuries, the sheriff's office said.
District removes driver from routes
Clinton Central School District said in a news release Tuesday that the driver involved will no longer transport students, without naming Van Dayne. The district said it takes "an incident of this nature extremely seriously" and acknowledged the experience was frightening for the student and other children on the bus.
Court appearance scheduled
Van Dayne is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 16. The investigation remains ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.
