Imagine your child, unable to speak, left alone on a bus for nearly five hours while officials claim they don’t know where they are. That nightmare happened to six nonverbal special education students in Crown Heights last December, and the details are absolutely sickening. This isn’t just a scheduling error; it’s a total collapse of care that left one child lying on the floor in her own urine.
Anastasia Coleman, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District, stated this incident revealed a massive failure in our system. The driver, Eric Chery, bounced between schools and missed the morning drop-off window entirely, leaving these vulnerable kids stranded while their parents waited in panic.
A Nightmarish Failure of Care
The facts from the probe are hard to swallow. On December 16, 2025, Chery was supposed to drop students at PS 289 between 8:20 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Instead, he didn’t show up until 1:25 p.m. School staff tried calling Consolidated Bus Transit around 10 a.m., but got no answer. GPS data later proved Chery was outside a student’s home at 10:59 a.m., even though he claimed all kids were picked up by 10 a.m.
A mother who placed tracking devices inside her kids’ backpacks observed them traveling all over Brooklyn, according to the New York Post. By 11:45 a.m., a dispatcher admitted the driver was lost but promised arrival in 15 minutes. He never came. When school officials finally reported the missing children to the NYPD, the bus arrived at the Brower School to reveal a horrific scene. Investigators found one child who had removed her own diaper and leggings, lying flat on the floor soaking wet.
Where Were the Adults?
Coleman said in a statement that it is highly disturbing six nonverbal children were left on a school bus for hours while their whereabouts remained unknown to school officials. The adults entrusted with their care must ensure the safety of these particularly vulnerable students. Yet, the system failed them completely. The driver lied about his location, the contractor ignored the school, and the GPS tracking didn’t save these kids in time.
We’ve seen too many reports of bus delays in this city. Councilmember Gale Brewer observed that back in November 2022, 350 school buses experienced delays daily, and the problem continues. She said that at the time, 350 school buses experienced delays daily, and the problem continues. But this wasn’t a delay; it was an abandonment of duty that left a child humiliated and terrified.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
