On 97-Degree Day, Girl, 4, Is Left in Parked School Bus

A Texas preschooler's bus ride reportedly ended with a couple of hours alone in a sweltering parked vehicle and a fired driver. Four-year-old Jahlyrika Keys never made it to her elementary school in the Dallas area on July 23, her family told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Instead, officials from the Crowley Independent School District say she was left on the bus after the morning route when the driver skipped a required post-route inspection, per People. District officials called the incident unacceptable and said the 53-year-old driver had been terminated.

Temperatures in the area hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit that day, and medical records reviewed by NBC indicate Jahlyrika was considered "at risk for hyperthermia." Her family says they weren't told she was absent until roughly two hours after school started. The district says it's reviewing transportation procedures, bolstering safety checks, and adding more training for transportation staff. The girl's family plans to speak publicly after consulting an attorney; the district says its investigation is ongoing. The San Antonio Express-News notes that Texas is first in the nation for hot-car deaths, citing the Kids and Car Safety nonprofit.