A Palmerton man faces a charge of reckless endangerment in connection with a special needs student who was left on a Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit bus Wednesday for four hours.

Rodger Sander, 75, told police he dropped students off at a school in Lehighton on Wednesday morning and yelled, “everyone off the bus,” before returning to his Harvard Avenue residence in Palmerton around 8:45 a.m., Palmerton officer Trevor Flexer wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed at Magisterial District Judge William Kissner’s office.

Sander said he did not check the seats before leaving the school. When he returned to his bus around 12:30 p.m., a student in the back of the bus sat up and Sander called 911.

According to police, Sander said he did not see the student at drop off and “he must have been laying on the seat.”

While alone on the bus, the student defecated on himself.

The student, who police said could not speak, was awake and alert when emergency medical officials responded to the scene.

“The Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit is currently investigating all facts related to this very serious matter,” Dr. Elaine E. Eib, CLIU executive director, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Eib said the CLIU strongly emphasizes child safety and well-being in the education and transportation of all of its students.

“What occurred is a matter of the utmost concern to us and we will do everything possible to investigate how this occurred,” she said. “The Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit has procedures and protocols to ensure all students have vacated a vehicle before the driver leaving a vehicle unattended and to ensure student safety. Our comprehensive investigation will continue.”

The reckless endangerment charge is a second-degree misdemeanor. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Kissner.