A man and woman have been granted bail in the Cairns Magistrate Court on Tuesday aftre being charged with manslaughter following the death of a three-year-old Indigenous boy who was left inside a daycare mini-bus in Cairns last Tuesday.
Michael Glenn Lewis, the 45-year-old driver of the bus and a Dionne Batrice Grills, a 34-year-old employee who was also on the bus, were charge with manslaughter yesterday afternoon.
It's alleged the three-year-old boy was still strapped to his seat when he was discovered in the van, and left unattended for at least four hours, while temperatures rose above 30 degrees on the day.
In a statement released by Queensland Police, it is alleged the boy was collected from his home around 9am to attend Goodstart Early Learning, and was later discovered deceased at around 3.15pm.
In a statement, Goodstart Early Learning said it had stood aside two educators from its Edmonton centre following the charges.
"Both educators were offered counselling and appropriate support after the tragic incident," said the statement.
"We can confirm that we have a senior manager from Goodstart in Cairns who is working closely with the Queensland Police Family Liaison Officer to ensure we do all that we can to support the family of the little boy during this tragic time.
"In addition, we continue to provide counsellors for Goodstart staff and families, and we have a team of highly trained trauma specialists in Cairns working to help parents of children who may have been affected by the events of last Tuesday.
"The teams will be in place for as long as the community requires their support."
Goodstart Edmonton remains closed and the bus services that transport children to and from its early learning centres remain suspended.
All children who normally attend Goodstart Edmonton have been offered alternative placements in nearby centres.
Goodstart suspended its national minibus service after the death in order to review its processes and procedures.
