There is nothing scarier than not being able to find your child; that fear increases when your child has special needs
Tallahassee, FL: Representative Anna V. Eskamani and Minority Leader Lauren Book filed legislation to ensure all school districts have School Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Teams and a school elopement plan to better serve and support Florida’s students with special needs.
HB 1429/SB 1568 requires that SAFE Teams are established within schools and that they craft school elopement plans. These plans must be updated annually and include:
- A search grid of the school campus and surrounding areas;
- Procedures for school personnel to notify school administrators if a student with disabilities elopes and procedures for school personnel to immediately begin searching for such student;
- Procedures for a coordinated response to an elopement, including, but not limited to, announcing a Code Gray and immediately contacting the student’s parent;
If a student with disabilities is prone to elopement, the SAFE Team, in coordination with the student’s parent(s), must create a student-specific elopement quick reference guide too.
According to the National Autism Association, roughly half, or 48%, of children with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) attempt to elope from a safe environment, a rate nearly four times higher than their unaffected siblings. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, accidental drowning accounted for 91% total U.S. deaths reported in children with an ASD ages 14 and younger subsequent to wandering/elopement. 32% of parents reported a “close call” with a possible drowning.
“All special needs students in Florida deserve the same protection. All schools should be equally safe for all special needs students,” said Representative Eskamani. “As advocates for the health and well-being of all Florida children, it’s essential we put into place systems to help keep our special needs kids safe and supported when at school. We know that this policy can and will save lives.”
Minority Leader Lauren Book added, “This is a necessary and long overdue step that some school districts are already implementing because it’s needed. This legislation will give parents, teachers, and our school districts the proper resources and guidelines to keep our most vulnerable children safe.”
Monica Carretero is a Florida Mom of a child with autism. Her child was diagnosed in 2015 at the age of three, and began to develop a habit of eloping from his home. Once, he eloped from his school classroom and was found at the outdoor basketball court. Monica was eventually notified about this, and as a member of a special need’s advocacy group, felt compelled to do more to ensure the safety of all kids.
“I constantly learn of neurodiverse children eloping from classrooms. In some instances, the children have been found miles away. In other occasions, children are found too late, resulting in physical harm or, in some instances, death,” stressed Monica. “As a society, we need to be more assertive in protecting the needs, safety, and dignity of the neurodiverse population. All special needs students in Florida deserve the same protection. All schools should be equally safe for all special needs students, and that is why I fully support this bill.”
At least two school districts in Florida (Broward and Polk) have already established an elopement protocol that all their schools must follow, without exception or making it discretionary. However, without a detailed, standardized procedure for management and action, disparity between school districts will continue to exist — putting the safety of the most vulnerable population at risk.
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