CCSD bus aide faces felony charge after police say she slept as a special education student fell from a moving bus

What happened

A Clark County School District aide assigned to special education transportation has been arrested after a boy fell out of a moving school bus, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. According to her arrest report, the aide appeared to be asleep for about 19 minutes before the student opened the bus's rear door.

The Clark County School District Police Department arrested Carmen Morris, 42, on Oct. 20, according to the Review-Journal. Online Las Vegas Justice Court records show she faces one felony charge of child abuse, neglect or endangerment. The incident itself took place on Oct. 13.

What the arrest report describes

Video from inside the bus

The arrest report says video recorded on the bus shows Morris appearing to sleep and unaware of her surroundings for about 19 minutes, the Review-Journal reported. During that time, according to the report, a student freed himself from his harness and crawled under the seats toward the back of the bus while it was traveling on the freeway.

The report says the boy later sat directly behind Morris for several minutes. He then went back to the rear door and stood there while the bus was going faster than 35 mph, according to the report.

The fall near Tenaya Way and Alexander Road

As the bus neared the intersection of Tenaya Way and Alexander Road in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, the boy opened the rear door, which set off an alarm, the report said. He fell out after the bus had accelerated to 11 mph. According to the report, Morris did not know what was happening until the alarm went off, and she then got up, realized the boy was gone and went out the back door to reach him.

What the aide told police

When police asked on Oct. 20 whether she had been asleep, Morris said no and told them she suffers from motion sickness, the Review-Journal reported. She said she did not see the boy leave his seat because "he moves really fast," and that he gets out of his harness "all the time," according to the report.

The report also notes a change in her account. On the day of the fall, Morris said she had intentionally let the boy out of his seat, according to the report, but on Oct. 20 she said he let himself out. The report says she had no answer when asked why she did not know what he was doing inside the bus.

How the school district responded

In a statement last week, the district said Morris has worked for CCSD since February 2013 and was most recently assigned as a special education transportation aide, according to the Review-Journal. The district said she will be assigned to home without pay under the negotiated agreement with her bargaining unit. More coverage of the district is available in our schools section, and related incidents are tracked in public safety news.

Where the case stands

The charge is an allegation, and the case has not been decided in court. Online Las Vegas Justice Court records show Morris's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 8, the Review-Journal reported. The Review-Journal report did not describe the boy's condition after the fall.

What to watch next

• Morris's preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court, scheduled for Feb. 8.
• How the felony child abuse, neglect or endangerment charge proceeds as the case moves through court.
• Her employment status with CCSD, which the district says is an unpaid assignment to home under the bargaining agreement.