School For The Blind Student Left In Hot Van During Tulsa Field Trip

Department of Human Services is investigating after a 13-year-old student from the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee was left unsupervised in a school van for several hours last week.

Muskogee Now reports the incident happened during a field trip to Tulsa on June 8.

It says the student was left in a hot van while the students attended a Tulsa Community College art workshop.  The temperature at the time of the incident was in the upper 80s.

The Oklahoma School for the Blind released a statement to Muskogee Now about the incident.

When OSB staff realized the student was missing, they searched with campus police and found the student inside the van. He was alert and responsive, but received first aid onsite and was transported to OSU Medical Center as a precaution. 

His family was immediately informed. The student was released from the hospital at 2:45 p.m. and returned to OSB.

OSB immediately contacted the Office of Client Advocacy in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services on June 8 to initiate an independent investigation.

The school and their parent agency Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services reviewed and improved operational procedures and safety protocols the same day.

An OCA representative arrived on campus on Thursday, June 9, at 10:35 a.m. OSB incorporated initial OCA input in their improvement plans. DRS and OSB will take additional appropriate action if needed as soon as the final OCA report is available.