‘You put my kid’s life in danger’: 5-year-old with autism wanders out of Boston school

BOSTON — A Boston mother is hesitant to send her 5-year-old son with autism back to school after the first grader walked out of the building without anyone noticing.

The non-verbal boy was found on Tuesday by the school custodian at Trotter Elementary on Humboldt Ave in Roxbury.

A district spokesperson said the child was gone for approximately four minutes.

The boy’s mother told Boston 25 News she’s skeptical of that timeline and is beside herself over what happened.

“It’s not okay. They never knew my child was missing,” said Keyshia, who didn’t want to use her last name. “If the custodian didn’t find him, only God knows what would’ve happened to him.”

She said her son is supposed to have one-on-one support.

An incident report said a paraprofessional ‘transitioned [child] from the bathroom to the hallway area outside his classroom’.

It stated that she ‘left him unattended while she brought two other students to the bathroom.’

According to the report, her son wandered to a stairwell, walked out a door, past the back playground and toward the parking lot.

School leaders reviewed surveillance footage to retrace the child’s footsteps after he was located.

“He can’t call for help. Was he looking for me?” questioned the boy’s mother. “It’s 30 degrees outside. No coat. No hat. No nothing.”

A spokesperson with Boston Public Schools sent the following statement to Boston 25 News:

<i>“Yesterday, one of our students left the school building for approximately four minutes and was located on school grounds by a staff member. School leadership and the school nurse ensured that the student was safe and unharmed and contacted the family, with whom they remain in close contact. The safety and well-being of our students is always our priority and we apologize to the family for the distress this situation has caused. We are investigating this incident to determine exactly how this happened and will fully address the situation in accordance with district policy.”</i>

—  Boston Public Schools

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