Jessica Smith-Ward

Introduction

Jessica Smith-Ward is a 37-year-old daycare bus driver in Forney, Texas, who is facing a criminal charge after a 5-year-old girl in her care was allegedly left alone in a locked bus on a triple-digit summer day. According to the Forney police report, Smith-Ward has been charged with child abandonment and endangerment in connection with an August 14, 2026 incident at Arka Montessori, a daycare located off Pinson Road in Forney. The child, who reportedly fell asleep during her ride home from school, remained on the parked bus for more than two hours before her mother and older sister found her still on board in the daycare parking lot, and she was hospitalized and treated for dehydration. The case drew coverage from FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth and the Dallas Express.

Background Information

Arka Montessori is a Forney daycare located off Pinson Road that operated a bus service picking children up from school. Smith-Ward, 37, drove for the daycare, and on August 14, 2026 — during the girl’s first week of school, according to her family — the daycare’s bus was sent to pick the 5-year-old up from her school. According to the family’s attorney, Mike Collier, the child fell asleep during the ride and the driver reportedly did not check to see whether she got off when the bus reached the daycare. The Forney police report on the incident is heavily redacted because it involves a minor, which has limited the public details available about the case.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations drawn from the Forney police report and from statements by the child’s family and their attorney. They have not been admitted by Jessica Smith-Ward, the criminal charge against her has not been adjudicated, and she is presumed innocent; a charge is not a conviction.

According to the family’s attorney, the 5-year-old was picked up from her school by a bus operated by the daycare, fell asleep on the ride, and was not noticed after the bus arrived. The family said the girl remained inside the locked vehicle while it sat parked on the daycare property, and her attorney said she was inside the hot bus for more than two hours on a triple-digit day. The situation came to light when the girl’s older sister arrived at the daycare to pick her up and learned the 5-year-old was not inside the building. The sister contacted their mother, and the two began searching the campus.

“Both her mom and her sister found her on that bus. They saw the little red bandana she was wearing that morning. They saw the buses back there and saw the little red bandana in the window. The girl had gotten up,” said attorney Mike Collier. According to the family’s attorney, the child had gotten up inside the bus and began responding after hearing her mother’s voice. The girl was taken to a hospital, where her family said she was treated for dehydration. Smith-Ward, identified in the Forney police report as the driver, was charged with child abandonment and endangerment.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The reaction has been driven largely by the girl’s family, who said they are sharing their story to make other parents aware and to push for greater safeguards. “I need justice for my daughter. I need justice. We have to go through this trauma. I know what I’m feeling right now. Today my child, the place I brought her I think is safe for her and other families, she don’t even want to see the building. When I drive around, she says this is a bad place,” said Sorie Tejan, her father. The girl’s mother, Tidankay Tejan, said she hopes no other family goes through the same ordeal. “The only thing I can say is I don’t want this to happen to anybody, because the nightmare is just too much,” she said, per NBC 5. The family’s pastor, the Rev. Silvanos Chapman, said relatives are grateful the girl survived. Collier argued that childcare providers transporting children are expected to account for the children in their care and that procedures should prevent a child from being left behind inside a vehicle.

Current Status

As of the latest reports, Smith-Ward has been charged with child abandonment and endangerment in connection with the August 14 incident, according to the Forney police report, and Forney police have confirmed the incident and said one person was arrested. The charge is pending and has not been adjudicated; she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The police report remains heavily redacted because it involves a minor, and the child’s family has not publicly identified her. Neither Smith-Ward nor Arka Montessori had publicly responded to the allegations as of the news reports: FOX 4 reached out to the daycare for comment without receiving one, and calls to Smith-Ward went to voicemail. No statement from Smith-Ward or an attorney representing her appears in the public reporting, so her side of the story has not been heard. The family has not filed a lawsuit.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Smith-Ward’s name is now attached to coverage of a 5-year-old girl being left inside a locked bus in triple-digit heat. FOX 4 identified her as a daycare worker facing criminal charges, and the Dallas Express paired its report with a booking image credited to Kaufman County Mugshots, tying her name and face to the case. Neither outlet reported on her current employment status at Arka Montessori, and the daycare itself has not commented publicly about her. Until the charge is resolved in court, her future in childcare work remains overshadowed by the pending allegation. For the family, the impact has been immediate and personal: their daughter was hospitalized for dehydration, and her father said she now calls the place her parents trusted “a bad place” and does not even want to see the building. The family said they are speaking publicly about the incident to warn other parents and push for greater safeguards.