Emails obtained by FOX19 NOW show that Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Shauna Murphy wrote to the school board hours after a special-needs student died aboard a school bus, saying bus staff "did not strap her in appropriately, causing her death." The student, seven-year-old Ngone Talla, was nonverbal and had developmental disabilities. Her family found her lifeless in her wheelchair on the afternoon of Sept. 16, after the bus had sat idle outside their home for about 10 minutes, which the family said was unusual.

Murphy said the account came from a conversation with John Keening of First Student, the bus company. First Student confirmed that its CEO and the superintendent spoke on the night of Ngone's death, but said that "at that point, no investigation had taken place, and many facts were still unknown." The company added that the characterization of the conversation "does not reflect the circumstances surrounding the incident or the findings subsequently outlined in the coroner's report."S2

Ngone was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Hamilton County Coroner's office ruled the death accidental, and an autopsy cited positional asphyxiation and a "delay in care." The autopsy noted she had been restrained by a "five-point seatbelt" system and described the buttocks slipping off the wheelchair seat with the neck and chin compressed by the restraint system.S2

In a statement, Cincinnati Public Schools said it was critically important that a thorough review take place to establish a clear and accurate understanding of the facts. The district said the board would not rush to judgment or make determinations before that process is complete. First Student and the district were contacted for comment by the New York Post.S2