ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — Football players from Aliquippa’s junior high team returned to school Monday to collect backpacks, shoes and electronics left behind after a school bus crash Saturday.
PHOTOS: Emergency crews respond to school bus crash involving Aliquippa football players
The team’s helmets were also recovered and will have to be re-certified before they can be worn again.
District leaders also provided more details on how they’re moving forward.
“Everybody showed them love when they came to school,” junior high head football coach Jay Sparrow said.
Sparrow said his focus is on students’ well-being, not the season.
“I am worried about my players getting back full so they can live a good life. Football can wait,” he said. “You know, the physical part is going to get over and done with, but the mental part...that’s the only thing I am worried about right now.”
Aliquippa Superintendent Phillip Woods took questions from families after walking through insurance procedures and medical excuses.
No representative from ABC Transit attended, but Woods relayed details the company provided about the driver.
“The statement they released said he had a stellar history and had no issues,” Woods said, adding he believes the driver was familiar with the route.
Woods said 21 students were taken to hospitals after the crash, with injuries including a fractured wrist, a broken leg, and a broken collarbone.
One player required at least two dozen stitches on their back, and a female player remained hospitalized Monday, he said.
Players met with mental health professionals at school.
“The kids had so much self-awareness. They were able to really voice what was going on with them,” said Megan Day, director of programs for the Prevention Network.
She described the overall response as “overwhelmingly positive,” though some students still expressed fear about getting back on a bus and concern for their teammates.
Woods said Pennsylvania State Police are continuing the investigation and still have the bus’s interior video.
The bus driver remained hospitalized Monday, he said.
The district said it will wait for each player to be medically cleared before making decisions about next week’s game schedule and beyond.
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