An Orlando Democratic state representative has re-filed a bill that would require public schools to have a plan and team in place to respond if an autistic student runs away.
The bill is aimed at saving the lives of these students, who are often drawn to water and could drown.
The “Student Elopement” bill, or H.B. 423, named for the act of an at-risk student leaving a school campus without permission, was re-filed by Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando.
It would require K-12 public schools to have a plan in place if a student with disabilities elopes, and a team of school officials and law enforcement officers, called the SAFE team, who can respond.
The plan would include how to immediately contact the child’s parent or guardian and procedures for conducting a search of the campus and contacting law enforcement.
The SAFE team which must include each school’s principal and school resource officer would update the plan each year and provide training for school personnel around it.
Mónica Carretero is with the Autism Society of Greater Orlando and is the mom of a son with autism, who frequently eloped. She said this legislation could save lives by expediting the search.
“When there is chaos and a child is missing, and anybody who has experienced this can tell you, the panic sets in, and then split second decisions are made, mistakes are made, but if you have a plan that you can execute, you will have a better outcome,” Carretero said.
Carretero says every second matters, especially for students on the spectrum. They are often drawn to bodies of water, where they could drown.
“People on the autism spectrum are 160 times more likely to drown than neurotypical people. So when our individuals on the autism spectrum elope, every second matters, because in any second, there can be a danger to those people that we cannot protect them from,” Carretero said.
Under the bill, schools would also be required to put together a quick reference guide for students who commonly elope. The student’s parent and SAFE team would collaborate on the guide, and it would be distributed to all relevant school personnel.
It would include:
- The student's identifying information.
- A current photograph of the student.
- The student's level of communication.
- A list of the student's interests, behaviors, preferences, and aversions.
- Any health considerations for the student.
- A list of any GPS technology that could be used to help locate the student.
- A list of possible locations where the student may go when eloping.
Each school would be required to distribute the plan to its school board. If approved, the law would take effect July 1.
The next legislative session begins in January.
The last legislative session was a banner one for students with disabilities, especially students with autism. Senate President Ben Albritton led the charge for passing legislation that opened up diagnostic and therapeutic services for children with autism, and expanded career opportunities for older students on the spectrum.
According to the Autism Society of Florida, 1 in 31 children in the U.S. have autism.
Read the full bill here:
