A 5-year-old child was hit and killed by a school bus in Standish on Tuesday.
The crash happened around 8 a.m. on Route 35, just a few blocks from Edna Libby Elementary School, when the kindergartener attended classes.
Bonny Eagle Superintendent Clay Gleason and Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce have confirmed that a child was hit and killed by a school bus.
There is no confirmation yet on exactly how this happened. According to Joyce, one other student was on the bus when the collision occurred.
The school bus was towed away and will be impounded by the sheriff as evidence.
The child’s name has not been publicly announced out of respect for the family.
Gleason put out the following statement Tuesday morning:
“It is with great sadness that I share the news that there was a fatal accident involving an elementary school aged student and a Bonny Eagle school bus this morning around 8:00 AM. Edna Libby will be dismissing students at 11:30 AM today to allow parents or caregivers to be with their children and for staff to receive support in the aftermath of this tragedy. To maintain normalcy for the rest of our students at this time the school day will go on as scheduled in all other district schools. All afterschool activities, however, are canceled. I have been in communication with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and a full investigation will be forthcoming to determine how this tragic accident took place. In this difficult time please keep those directly impacted in your thoughts – first and foremost the family of the student, as well as the students and staff of Edna Libby. Speculation or blame on social media is not productive or helpful and is disrespectful to the memory of the student and their family. The immediate focus is on supporting the family, and students and staff at Edna Libby. We have counselors on site to support students and staff. If you have a specific concern for your child, whether they attend Standish Schools or any other school in the district, please contact your child’s school for support. More information about any impact on the school day for later this week will be made available once our administration has had a chance to process and plan. Our community has always been strong and supportive. Let’s keep that BE Strength going through this tragic event.”
BDN Reporter Leela Stockley contributed to this report.