Long Beach school district investigating bus incident

A Long Beach school bus transporting 27 students to the Lido Complex was involved in what the district described as a minor incident on Monday when the driver stopped short during the run.

Though no injuries were reported, two people familiar with the incident said that the sudden stop jolted a number of students on board.

“I am sure that many of you heard that there were several ambulances at the Lido complex this morning,” Schools Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gallagher said on the district’s Facebook page. “A bus transporting 27 Lido students was engaged in a minor incident when the driver stopped short. As soon as the students arrived, we called EMS to check all the students out. No students had to be transported by ambulance, but several students were taken by parents to be evaluated by their doctor or at the emergency room.”

Gallagher added that Lido nurses and staff “provided excellent care and all of the students were calm as they waited to be checked out by medics, and for their parents to come.”

“The bus driver was immediately removed from the run, and we are in the process of doing a full review of the incident, according to our safety protocols,” she said. “As always, the safety of our students is our top priority. I want to commend our Lido staff, and the many emergency personnel who responded to ensure that our students were safe and comfortable.”

It was unclear what caused the driver to stop short or whether any other vehicles might have been involved.

Gallagher said that the district was still investigating and that additional information was pending.

“The first priority this morning was ensuring that all of the students were OK,” she said.