A school bus carrying 24 kids and three adults left the roadway before overturning in Michigan on Wednesday afternoon.
Several kids sustained minor injuries after the bus driving northbound on US-127 crashed. More than two dozen police and emergency teams arrived at the scene just after 4:30 p.m.
Ithaca Public Schools posted about the accident on Facebook, stating the district's ski club was on the bus during the crash and informing parents of a reunification center.
The U.S. Department of Justice recommends that all schools prepare a reunification plan in collaboration with local law enforcement, first responders, and mental health entities.
The first established reunification method was created by the "I Love You Guys" foundation, started in 2006 by two parents after their daughter was killed during a school shooting. The foundation serves to provide a standard reunification model for kindergarten through high school.
"A predetermined, practiced reunification method ensures the reunification process will not further complicate what is probably already a chaotic, anxiety-filled scene," the foundation's website states. "In fact, putting an orderly reunification plan into action will help defuse the emotion building at the site."
Mount Pleasant Police said in a press release that while details are limited, no one suffered life-threatening injuries from the crash.
"Initial report and witness statements revealed that the school bus went off the roadway to the left, re-entered the roadway and continued off the roadway to the right causing the bus to overturn," police said. "24 students and 3 adults, including the driver, from the Ithaca School system were on board."
A sergeant with MPPD was less than half a mile away from the scene at the time of the crash and was able to immediately respond to the scene and administer aid to the injured passengers, according to police.
Parents of the injured students were contacted by agencies at the scene of the accident.
According to police, the adult chaperone and bus driver are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital. Eight students were transported to another hospital with seven being treated for minor injuries and one with a broken arm.
One student was transported to another local hospital and is receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
A reunification center was established at a local high school, where the 18 students that did not require medical attention were transported and their parents could pick them up.
Fire-rescue personnel, an Ithaca Schools liaison, and a trauma team from a local hospital were also at the reunification center to attend to students.
"The parent reunification methodology utilized today was from years of partnerships and training conducted by the post with local agencies, emergency managers, MSP EMHSD District Lieutenant, and local schools as part of ASHER response Incident Action Plan," police wrote in the press release.
ASHER, which stands for Active Shooter Hostile Event Response, is a reunification framework that was released to the public in 2018 by the National Fire Protection Association. The framework focuses on three key elements: planning, responding, and recovering.
