CRANBERRY TWP — A bus driver and monitor for AJ Myers & Sons have been fired after leaving a special-needs child alone on a bus for several hours Tuesday morning.

Linda Andreassi, a Seneca Valley School District spokesman, said in a statement this morning the 7-year-old student was left on the bus after the rest of the students were dropped off at Haine Elementary School in Cranberry Township.

The driver drove the bus home without noticing the child was still on board. According to other reports, the boy awoke cold and crying and was only noticed missing when his teacher texted his mother.

Andreassi said it is standard protocol for bus drivers and monitors to ensure no children are left on the bus after drop-offs. Those protocols weren’t followed, which is why both the bus driver and the monitor were fired.

Both work for AJ Myers, which contracts with the district for bus service.

Andreassi applauded the teacher who took “proactive measures” in contacting the child’s mother “once it was clear the student did not arrive at school.”

“Her immediate actions allowed us and our bus contract, AJ Myers & Sons, Inc., to address the situation immediately,” she said.

Officials with AJ Myers didn’t immediately responded to a request for comment this morning.