The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released preliminary information from an investigation into the death of a 5-year-old boy who was dragged 280 feet and killed after the school bus loading doors closed on his arm.

It was at least the third time a student dragging occurred in Maine since 2022.

The latest incident involved a Maine School Administrative District #6 school bus. It  stopped to pick up students the morning of Dec. 16 on Route 35, a two-lane undivided highway with a posted speed limit of 35 mph in the Cumberland County town of Standish. The roadway was partially wet at the time.

The 2022 Blue Bird school bus stopped near the intersection of Route 35 and Route 114, where a 7-year-old student boarded. The 5-year-old boy, identified by local news reports as Simon Gonzalez, followed and approached the loading doors from the rear of the bus. As the kindergartener extended his left arm into the bus, NTSB said, the doors closed. The school bus driver then proceeded to drive away with Gonzalez’s arm pinned.

Preventing School Bus Snagging and Dragging

‘Check the Door Once More’ to Avoid School Bus Dragging Incidents

The bus dragged the boy about 280 feet southbound on Route 35 before he dislodged and fell into the roadway. The school bus then ran over him and killed him. The school bus driver and the 7-year-old student, who local news reported is Gonzalez’s half-brother, did not sustain physical injuries during the incident.

NTSB said all aspects of the crash remain under investigation while determining probable cause. It also intends to issue safety recommendations, to prevent a similar incident from occurring.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and Maine Department of Transportation are assisting in the investigation.

Related: School Bus Driver Pleads Guilty in 2016 Student Dragging Death
Related: Indiana Student Dragged Down Street by School Bus
Related: Maine Student Caught in School Bus Door is Dragged Down the Road
Related: ‘Check the Door Once More’ to Avoid School Bus Dragging Incidents

The post NTSB Investigating Fatal School Bus Dragging in Maine appeared first on School Transportation News.

While public awareness campaigns about illegally passing stopped school buses increase nationwide, the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey finds that school buses and their drivers accounted for all the student fatalities reported for the 2024-2025 school year.

The 2024-2025 National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey, released Sunday at the National State Director of Pupil Transportation Services conferences in Washington, D.C., reported that six fatalities occurred in five states, with Louisiana reporting two. Four states did not participate in the survey, the most non-responses since 2015.

Over 55 years, the annual survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education’s School Transportation Safety Unit says school buses account for 56.5 percent of all reported fatalities, with other vehicles accounting for 39.2 percent and “other” 4.2 percent.

Several fatalities during the 2024-2025 school year occurred similarly. In Missouri, a 9-year-old girl had just exited her school bus. As the bus pulled away from the curb and began preparing to turn left, the student ran along the left side of the bus for unknown reasons. She was struck and killed by the rear left wheels.

Find All National School Bus Loading and Unloading Surveys Since 1970

A similar situation occurred in Wisconsin. A 5-year-old boy had unloaded the school bus at school. However, the student had dropped an item and crawled under the bus to retrieve it as the school bus driver pulled away. The student was struck and killed by the left rear dual wheels.

A 5-year-old Massachusetts boy unloaded from the school bus when the vehicle moved forward, and it struck and killed the child. The boy was killed by the left front wheel.

In Louisiana, a 7-year-old exited the school bus and was walking in front of it as the driver pulled away from the stop. He was struck and killed by the right front and right rear dual wheels of the bus.

Also in Louisiana, a 6-year-old boy was running to catch the school bus. He was in front of the bus as it pulled away from the stop, and he was struck and killed by the front of the school bus.

Similarly, in Texas, a 5-year-old was running to catch the bus. He, too, was in front of the bus as it pulled away from the stop. He was then struck and killed by the left front wheels.

Related: Senate Supports October School Bus Safety Month for 12th Consecutive Year
Related: Louisiana Boy Waiting for School Bus Allegedly Killed by Impaired Grandmother
Related: California Farmworkers Hailed as Heroes After Rescuing 20 Children from Burning School Bus 
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Related: High School Senior Killed Walking to Bus Stop in Florida

Half of the fatalities took place on the trip to school, the other half on the trip home. All the students killed were under 10 years old. Three were 5 years old. The National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey stated that during the past 55 years of the survey, 73 percent of fatalities occurred to students 9 years of age and under.

Three of the fatalities took place on a Thursday, and two took place in the month of April. For five of the fatalities, the weather conditions were clear and in daylight, with one being reported during cloudy conditions and one during dark. Two fatalities were reported in rural areas, whereas four were considered urban. In all fatalities, road conditions were dry.

The survey is based on police reports of student fatalities at school bus stops when the bus was on scene at the time of the incident.

The post 6 Students Killed in Danger Zone, All by School Buses appeared first on School Transportation News.

Despite the federal government shut down and amid students continuing to die or be injured in the school bus “Danger Zone,” the Senate agreed on the importance of child safety with a resolution designating October 2025 as School Bus Safety Month.

Introduced by Sens. Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Gary Peters of Michigan, Senate Resolution 484 was filed on Nov. 5 and the full chamber agreed via unanimous consent to the language Monday. But it was originally scheduled for a vote on Oct. 1, the first day of the government shutdown.

“We stayed on them every day to get together and vote on it even with the government shutdown, which was very hard to do,” said Ward Leber, founder of the Child Safety Network, which has been the organization championing the resolution since 2013, when current Senate Majority Leader John Thune threw his full support behind it. “When both sides knew internally a deal was going to happen to reopen within a few days, our constant pushing paid off.”

Leber said this year’s resolution is dedicated to the memories of two 11-year-old girls who were killed as they were boarding and exiting their school buses.

“As a sergeant, a supervisor of school resource officers, and most of all as a father, I know the deadly outcome that can occur when drivers illegally pass school buses,” said Sgt. Dan Sperry, who spoke at STN EXPO West in 2016. “My 11-year-old daughter Makayla died in my arms just after stepping off her bus. I am proud to serve alongside the volunteers of CSN’s Senior Advisory Board, and grateful for all of the dedicated school bus professionals working every day to prevent another family from suffering a preventable tragedy.”

Leandra Backner, whose daughter was killed in 2022 after she tripped and was run over by her school bus, said “it warms my hear that the U.S. Senate has upheld School Bus Safety Month since 2013, honoring Annaliese’s memory through its ongoing commitment to safety.”

Sen. Peters said in a statement parents should have “peace of mind that when they drop their kids off at the bus stop, they will get to school and back home safely.”

The resolution results in funding for an NFL-themed PSA that alerts the public when it’s not safe to pass, especially when a stopped school bus is involved. The program is scheduled to launch in early 2026 around the Super Bowl.

It also touts the CSN Safe Ride campaign that offers school bus driver training, school bus technology, and free safety and security resources to school districts. To date, CSN said it has provided security awareness training materials to over 14,000 public and private schools, trained over 125,000 school bus operators and provided more than 175,000 counter-terrorism guides.

Peters also introduced last month the Brake for Kids Act to create a PSA about the dangers of illegally passing school buses.

In his home state, the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation recently filmed a PSA with NASCAR driver Ryan Preece, a member of the RFK Racing Team owned by Jack Roush, the founder and chairman of Roush Enterprises that includes ROUSH CleanTech. The company provides propane autogas and gasoline fuel systems to Blue Bird in partnership with Ford.

Related: STN EXPO Speaker to Discuss Daughter’s School Bus Death
Related: Colorado Senate Approves $5.5M to Improve School Bus Safety
Related: School Bus Drivers, “What’s Important Now?”
Related: Senate Recognizes School Bus Safety Month in ‘Tribute Year’

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