A tragic incident occurred in Standish, Maine, on Tuesday morning when a kindergarten student was killed after being hit by a school bus. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office reported that the accident took place shortly before 8 a.m. on Northeast Road, situated along Route 35 and less than half a mile from Edna Libby Elementary School.

The victim, identified as Simon Gonzalez, aged 5, was declared dead at the scene. At the time of the accident, another student was aboard the Bonny Eagle School District bus, who is the half-brother of Simon. Authorities from the Sheriff’s office are currently investigating the details surrounding the crash, with assistance from the Maine State Police’s Crash Reconstruction and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Units.

In response to the tragedy, Clay Gleason, the Superintendent of Schools, announced that Edna Libby Elementary dismissed students at 11:30 a.m. in order to provide support to families and staff. Although other Bonny Eagle schools continued as planned, all afterschool activities were suspended. Gleason encouraged the community to keep the affected families in their thoughts, noting that social media speculation can be harmful to the students family and their memory.

Following the incident, authorities closed Route 35 between Route 114 and Moody Road for approximately three hours to manage the situation effectively. Gleason mentioned that further details regarding the school schedule for the remainder of the week would be communicated after the administration has had time to assess and address the situation.