Parent concerned about hot Wake County school buses
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Wake County mom is angry and trying to get answers from the Wake County Public School System about her son's sweltering bus ride.
The mom says her five-year-old was on a bus without air conditioning and with the windows rolled up. She says the boy was on board for an hour-long ride and, when he arrived home, he was in a condition that scared her.
"He was very weak. His face was red. He was drenched with sweat. When I got him home, I stripped all of his clothes off," said the Wake County mom, who didn't want to use her name.
The mom says the incident happened Tuesday, a day that was hot and humid. She also says her child wasn't allowed to drink water because it's against bus rules.
"It's dangerous. Reporters are talking about kids being in hot cars and our students are forced to ride in hot school buses," said the mom.
WCPSS says the majority of buses in the fleet have air conditioning and, as the district replaces older school buses, they are buying one with air conditioning. The district adds they are not legally required to have air conditioning on buses.
"We try to assign buses with A/C when it's hot in the summer months. When it's not the case, it's because the bus is out of service for maintenance," said WCPSS Communications Director Lisa Luten.
Dr. Samy Saad is a physician at WakeMed's Children Emergency Department. He says being in a hot confined space without water could put kids at high risk for hyperthermia, or heat stroke.
"They [kids] cannot regulate their temperature. They cannot drink; nobody is going to give them anything to drink if they got stuck in a car. A small car, actually, the temperature can rise about 20 degrees every 10 minutes," Dr. Saad said.
The mom has filed a complaint with the WCPSS Transportation Department. She did it not only for her son but other students and the bus driver.
"She has this little tiny fan. There's no air circulating. And all these kids appear to be weak and struggling," said the mom.
The mom did put her son on the bus Wednesday morning. It's her only option. The family only owns one car, and the father takes the car to work.
