Students rattled, but OK

WASILLA — Seven children suffered minor injuries Friday afternoon in a school bus accident at Shaw Elementary School.

The children were loaded on a pair of First Student school buses — Bus 93 and Bus 86 — that were preparing to leave at the end of the school day, says Shaw principal Monica Goyette in an email explaining the incident.

At about 3:55 p.m., the driver of bus 93 released his brake and rolled backward into Bus 86, Goyette says.

“The school nurse responded immediately to systematically check on each child,” she says in the email. “Simultaneously, transportation called the EMTs to respond due to reported student injuries.”

The students were held on the bus until emergency medical responders could check them out, she says. The check revealed that seven students had minor injuries and the families of all those students declined transportation to the hospital and were released directly to parents or guardians.

“Once the EMTs completed the student safety checks, we moved students into the building,” Goyette reports. “Students used the facilities, were given water and snacks while we continued to contact every family.”

In the end, the buses resumed their routes at about 5:40 p.m., she says, and 13 parents requested their children continue home on the bus, she writes in the email.

The last student was picked up at the school at 6:10 p.m.

Although the incident turned out to be minor, Goyette expressed gratitude for emergency responders and staff.

“A special thanks to all the Shaw staff, First Student, the emergency response personnel and our parents for their incredible response,” she says. “We had over 15 staff members respond immediately and stay to meet parents and provide activities and comfort the children.”

She also writes that the incident was a learning experience.

“While I am very proud of the response, we have already begun to identify processes that will help us run more efficiently should an emergency occur again in the future,” she says in the email.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.