MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - The Aspire Public Schools community is mourning the loss of 9-year-old Kameron Johnson who died early Monday morning.
Johnson was with a group of Memphis-area youth football players on their way back from a game in Texas over the weekend when their charter bus crashed on I-30 near Little Rock.
Kameron’s family members are devastated by the loss, calling him as a sweet boy.
He was a third-grade student at Coleman Elementary School. Speaking on behalf of the Aspire district Monday, Superintendent Dr. Nickalous Manning spoke of a young boy full of life and full of potential.
“It’s hard to put into words what the future had for him,” said Manning.
School leaders spoke with Kameron’s teammates following the crash.
“You just saw it on their face,” he said. “You saw it on their face what that young person meant to them.”
Two other Coleman students were injured in the same crash. In total, 45 passengers on the bus suffered injuries of varying degrees. The charter bus was carrying members of four different Memphis youth football teams that are part of the Orange Mound Youth Association.
“This is a Memphis tragedy,” said Stephanie Love, Shelby County School Board commissioner. “We have several students from Shelby County schools, the ASD schools, charter schools, so when we send our prayers out let’s pray for Memphis as a whole.”
The Achievement School District, Aspire Public Schools and the School Seed Foundation are partnering to collect funds for Kameron’s family. The money will support funeral and burial expenses. Any additional funds beyond the cost of funeral and burial will to go help other families involved in the crash.
Shelby County Schools is also collecting money for families affected by the crash.
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