Inset: Carmen Morris (KLAS). Background: Nevada school buses (KVVU/YouTube).
A Nevada school bus aide appeared to be asleep for nearly 20 minutes while a special education student escaped his harness, crawled to the back of the bus, opened the rear door and then fell out while the vehicle was moving, according to police.
Carmen Morris, 42, of Las Vegas, is facing a felony count of child abuse by neglect or endangerment after being arrested by the Clark County School District Police Department, according to court records.
The alleged sleeping incident occurred on Oct. 13 as the Clark County School District bus Morris was riding on traveled through the northwest Las Vegas Valley.
An arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Morris appeared to be asleep and “unaware of what was happening inside the bus” for approximately 19 minutes.
“Carmen was unaware of what was happening … until the alarm sounded and (the boy) fell out,” the report says. “At that point, Carmen got up from her seat, realized (the boy) had fallen out, and went out the back door to get him.”
Morris was questioned on Oct. 20 about the incident and she denied being asleep when the child fell from the bus, according to police. Morris allegedly claimed she suffers from motion sickness and did not notice that the boy had left his seat because “he moves really fast.”
The child allegedly fell out of the bus after it accelerated. The vehicle exceeded 35 mph while the boy was near the rear door, according to the arrest report.
Morris allegedly told police that the boy escapes his harness “all the time,” but she had no answer when asked why she appeared to be “sleeping” and “completely unaware of her surroundings.”
“Carmen initially said the day of (the boy) falling out of the bus, that she intentionally let him out of his seat, and (he) moved fast to the back of the bus,” the report says. “Carmen today said that (the boy) let himself out of the seat.”
Morris’ preliminary hearing is set for February 2027.
