Long Island Mom: Autistic Son Who Can't Speak Left Alone On School Bus

BELLMORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Massapequa mother is demanding answers after her autistic son was left on his school bus and not dropped off until nearly two hours later.

CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported Anthony Vitucci, an autistic boy who can't speak, was left on the bus while going to Nassau Boces Children's Readiness Center in Bellmore Wednesday morning.

"He was left on the bus in the morning, they never took him off," Jeannine Vitucci, Anthony's mother, said. "The driver had discovered that he was still on the bus when she stopped at a relative's house."

Vitucci said the school's principal called around 10:45 a.m. to explain that her son didn't arrive to school at 9 a.m.

"You put the safety of your children in these people's hands and when you have this happen to you, trust is gone," Vitucci said.

Vitucci said it could have been much worse because Anthony could have wandered off. 

"He will flee if he doesn't know where he is. He could have very easily walked out of those doors and we would have never seen him again," she said.

The school said in a statement the matron and bus driver involved in the incident were removed from bus duty. The school is also investigating, but Vitucci said that's not enough.

"It's their job to drive the bus and check it," she said. "I don't know what went wrong that day. How can you not account for any child, let alone a special needs child who is severely, severely impaired?" Vitucci said.

Vitucci drove Anthony to school Thursday but he got emotional while driving by Boces.

"I drove by the school, he got hysterical. That didn't make me feel any better. He's never done that before. Anthony loves school," she said.

Vitucci said all she feels is a sense of anger, frustration and disappointment.

"All day my mind is going to think about is where's Anthony? What is he doing? How is he feeling?" she said.