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Bus Company Pledges To Improve Safety After Death Of Student With Special Needs In Whittier

WHITTIER (CBSLA.com) — Following the death of a 19-year-old student in an unattended school bus in Whittier last week, the company that operated the bus pledged on Wednesday to put in place additional safety measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

On the afternoon of Sept. 11, the body of Hun-Joon "Paul" Lee was discovered in a sweltering school district parking lot after his family notified his school that the teenager was missing.

Lee's parents said their son, who had autism, was left unattended on the bus from 8:30 a.m. until he was found around 4 p.m., as temperatures soared to 100 degrees. The bus was operated by Pupil Transportation Cooperative.

The death has deeply rattled parents of students with special needs.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Tom DeLapp, a spokesman for Pupil Transportation Cooperative, said the company is taking additional security measures. For example, two adults will monitor every bus to ensure all students have been cleared out. The company is also looking into electronic devices that can further ensure buses are empty before they are left.

"This has been devastating," DeLapp said. "Lessons are here to be learned."

Still, many parents are nervous about dropping their children off on the bus in the morning.

"It still concerns me," said one mother of a student with special needs. "How could it have possibly happened? It's a huge concern."

The coroner's office is conducting an autopsy on Lee's body. Police are investigating the incident.

 

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