HARRISON TOWNSHIP — A mother is sharing her concerns after her son reportedly walked out of his school twice in the last two months.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Rachel Todd’s son has autism and is a sixth grader at Northridge Middle School.
She’s been talking to the principal and superintendent about the situation.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Convicted sex offender facing new charges in Montgomery County
- Man found shot in alley in Dayton neighborhood
- Local attorney accused of stalking 17-year-old girl, illegally recording people enters plea
On Tuesday, Todd stood in her front yard with News Center 7’s John Bedell and watched her son come home from school.
She noticed something else she’s going to bring up in her latest meeting with the district.
“Well, I had always thought the bus came up here. It must sit back just a little bit further,” Todd said.
Our crews saw 11-year-old Max walk around the corner about a minute before his bus pulled up at his stop.
Todd said her sixth grader is supposed to have the staff make sure he gets on the bus to come home.
The family lives a little more than a half-mile walk away from school in a district that offers busing to all students.
While Todd told News Center 7’s John Bedell that what happened Tuesday is an issue, it isn’t the issue she called about.
“My concern is his safety. Why are we not watching or keeping or supervising an 11-year-old child who has multiple diagnoses, with his main diagnosis of autism,” Todd said.
She said Monday was the second time since November that her son, Max, had walked out of his school building sometime between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., and walked home.
His stepdad was home both times.
She shared a document that shows Max was suspended for the November incident. She added that he was also suspended for Monday’s incident.
News Center 7’s John Bedell went to the district offices on Tuesday, but the superintendent, David Jackson, didn’t want to talk on camera. However, he did provide the following statement:
“Out of respect for student privacy and in accordance with federal and state laws, Northridge Local Schools cannot discuss specific details about an individual student. We are aware, however, that a middle school student left the school building yesterday, without permission, and walked safely to his nearby home. The student then contacted his parent, who notified the school. We are reviewing the situation internally and will be making any necessary adjustments to our procedures and protocols.
We are also working collaboratively with the family and have scheduled a meeting to discuss ways to better support the student and to avoid similar situations in the future.
As always, the Northridge Local Schools will continue to prioritize the safety, security, and well-being of all students and staff.”
“One day he’s gonna walk out of the school building, and he’s going to choose not to come home, and I’m not going to know where he’s at,” Todd said.
Both Jackson and Todd said their meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]