A Suffolk school bus driver and her assistant have been placed on administrative leave after accidentally leaving a 4-year-old child on the bus for more than five hours Wednesday.

Bobby Boone, a student in Mount Zion Elementary School’s Early Start program, fell asleep on the bus on the way to school, said Bethanne Bradshaw, spokeswoman for Suffolk Public Schools. He apparently was still asleep when his classmates got off the bus.

The driver and assistant then parked the bus at King’s Fork Middle School until around 2 p.m. When they picked it up to begin the afternoon bus run, the pair discovered Boone.

&uot;As soon as they found the child, they took him to Mount Zion where they called the child’s mother, …fed him and had him checked out by the school nurse,&uot; said Bradshaw. &uot;They were regretful and remorseful that this happened.&uot;

The youngster, alone on the bus from 8:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., was not hurt, Bradshaw said.

The child told school officials he spent the time playing, sleeping and looking out the windows.

&uot;We were very lucky,&uot; she said. &uot;A lot of things could have happened but that doesn’t shirk our legal responsibility.

&uot;From the minute a parent entrusts his child to us until we turn them back over to them, we are basically the child’s parents,&uot; Bradshaw said. &uot;We take our role as protector very seriously.&uot;

Walking to the back of the school bus after each run is standard procedure for Suffolk drivers, a practice that is included in employee manuals and regularly reiterated at staff meetings, Bradshaw said.

&uot;They did not do it this time,&uot; she said.

Both police and child protective services are investigating the incident, Bradshaw said. The pair could face neglect charges.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com