School District Responds After 5-Year-Old Boy Spends 'Traumatizing' Day Trapped On Bus

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Wilmington area school district is now responding after a 5-year-old boy spent an entire school day trapped on the school bus he boarded on Tuesday morning.

According to the Red Clay School District, the boy boarded his bus around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and likely fell asleep. It was not until 3 p.m. when his mother was notified her son never made it to Linden Hill Elementary School.

The boy was found in the afternoon when the bus driver re-boarded for the afternoon route.

The school district admitted procedures were not followed by the driver and the district failed by not taking attendance earlier in the day.

"Attendance was taken late that day in that classroom and it did not get down to the main office in time for the calls that go out to parents telling them that your child is not in school today. So, unfortunately, there were a number of points that did not go well and this just shouldn't have happened," said Pati Nash, a public information officer for the Red Clay School District.

CBS3 has been told that the incident was "traumatizing" for the boy. Despite being hungry at the time, he is in good health.

The school district immediately prohibited the driver from operating buses contracted by the school.

No word from the bus company on what action will be taken.