5-year-old boy fatally injured in Standish school bus crash
When first responders arrived, they found a young boy had been struck by an MSAD 6 school bus, the sheriff’s office said.
STANDISH, Maine — A 5-year-old boy was fatally injured Tuesday morning after he was struck by a school bus at the intersection of Northeast Road (Route 35) and Route 114 in Standish.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said deputies were called to the scene shortly before 8 a.m. for a report of a school bus crash involving a pedestrian. When first responders arrived, they found an elementary school-aged child had been struck by an MSAD 6 school bus. The child, identified as 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at the scene.
MSAD 6 serves the towns of Buxton, Hollis, Limington, Standish and Frye Island. The boy was a student at Edna Libby Elementary School, according to the school district.
One other student was on the bus at the time of the crash, Joyce said. That student was the half-brother of the boy who died, according to Joyce.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, along with other law enforcement agencies, will conduct a reconstruction of the crash. The Maine State Police Traffic Safety Unit is assisting. First responders from Windham, Gorham, and the Maine Warden Service also responded to the crash.
The crash shut down Northeast Road between Route 114 and Moody Road. The stretch of road reopened around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
MSAD 6 Superintendent Clay Gleason said Edna Libby Elementary School planned to dismiss students at 11:30 a.m. to allow parents or caregivers to be with their children and for staff to receive support.
All after-school activities in the district were canceled, though the district said the school day itself would go on as scheduled in all other district schools.
“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,” Gleason wrote in a message to the school community. “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.”
Support services are being provided for the bus driver and the family, Joyce said.
In a community message, Edna Libby Elementary School Principal Sue Snydor shared that classes will be canceled on Wednesday. Parents and children can stop by from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to speak with counselors. Lunch will be available for visiting families, and quiet activities will be held in the library, according to Snydor.
School will reopen Thursday, with teachers and counselors available to help students understand and process the tragedy, Snydor said. Parents may decide whether to send their child to school. For families who prefer to discuss the incident privately, Snydor recommended resources from the Center for Grieving Children.
Classes will resume on Friday. Extra resources will be available throughout the day, Snydor said. All absences will be excused.
Snydor said those with questions or thoughts about how best to support students may reach out to her for more information.
A GoFundMe was set up on Tuesday to support the boy’s family.
The crash remains under investigation.
Maine Department of Education
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to the Maine Department of Education about Tuesday’s tragedy and another incident in Rockland last month. Here’s what they had to say.
“Our team at the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has been devastated to learn about these recent tragedies, and we remain committed to supporting the students, staff, and communities who have been impacted,” the department said in a written response.
“Student transportation is managed at the school administrative unit (SAU) level,” the department said. “The Maine DOE does not have any regulatory, enforcement, or investigative authority, as it pertains to student transportation; rather, the department focuses on providing training, equipment, guidance, and support for SAUs.”
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles provides the examination for and issuance of a commercial driver’s license based on federal standards, according to a DOE spokesperson, and those records are publicly accessible in the BMV database.
“The Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), under the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, oversees the Commercial Driver’s License requirement for school bus drivers,” the department said.
When asked about student fatalities, the department said, “The most recent fatal school bus crash involving a student occurred last month in Rockland (RSU 13).” Adding, “three additional student fatalities” during bus loading or unloading were reported in Maine between 1970 and 2023.
Regarding training, the department said it supports safety efforts by helping districts purchase buses, offering safety-related trainings and technical support, and funding the Maine Association of Pupil Transportation’s regional and statewide conferences.
The department also said it plans to hold its Maine School Safety and Transportation Conference again in March 2026.
This story will be updated as NEWS CENTER Maine learns more.
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