Tragic: Boy "Elopes" at School, Drowns

[SweetSue92]

An 8 yo boy in South Carolina eloped from school, evading the adults in this room. He was later found drowned in a neighborhood pond. The boy, who has autism, was in a contained classroom with three children and three adults.

This is a heartbreaking tragedy and more evidence that many of our students have no place in general education public schools. I'm sorry to say this, but if staff cannot protect their safety and the safety of others, we need dedicated facilities back, like we used to have.

SIMPSONVILLE — The search for a missing 8-year-old who had run away from staff at Bell's Crossing Elementary School ended tragically after his body was found in a neighborhood pond a short distance away.

Authorities began searching for Lionel Ramirez Cervantes earlier in the day after school officials said the second-grader bolted from staff around 11 a.m. on Sept. 12. Cervantes had autism and was somewhat nonverbal, deputies said.

According to a statement from Greenville County Schools, Cervantes was in a classroom with two other students and three staff members when he ran away. Multiple staff pursued the boy out of the classroom and then out of the building.

"He went up a hill, beyond a fence off campus, and into a field with very high grass," according to the statement.

Cervantes disappeared before staff could catch up, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in a press conference at the school.

"He really eluded them, if you will," Lewis said, continuing: "There's some woods back behind the school. They immediately notified law enforcement, obviously, to come help, as well as school security personnel. Everybody converged here, and that's when the search began."

Body of missing 2nd grader found in pond near elementary school in Simpsonville

 

[crossbody]

That's so sad. We have to do a much better job of keeping an eye on kids especially the "special" ones.

 

[SweetSue92]

That's so sad. We have to do a much better job of keeping an eye on kids especially the "special" ones.

This boy was already in a special class with a one-to-one ratio: three adults, three children.

Due to the fire code, you can generally not lock doors from the inside.

In my state, you are not allowed to touch or detain children unless it's a dire emergency. So, they might have been able to prevent him from going into the pond if they had caught him. But they were probably not allowed to stop him from leaving the building, at least in my state.

What do you suggest?

 

[crossbody]

This boy was already in a special class with a one-to-one ratio: three adults, three children.

Due to the fire code, you can generally not lock doors from the inside.

In my state, you are not allowed to touch or detain children unless it's a dire emergency. So, they might have been able to prevent him from going into the pond if they had caught him. But they were probably not allowed to stop him from leaving the building, at least in my state.

What do you suggest?

You have to tie some of these kids up, seriously.

In sped classes in Texas those who pose a danger to themselves and/or others you have to put a kiddie stray jacket around them to keep them in place.

 

[SweetSue92]

You have to tie some of these kids up, seriously.

In sped classes in Texas those who pose a danger to themselves and/or others you have to put a kiddie stray jacket around them to keep them in place.

I have been teaching for a long time. When I started in the mid-90s, I had a child come to my class in a literal straightjacket. Yes. A straightjacket.

That was wrong.

But.

The pendulum has swung too far now to where we can't even keep kids and others SAFE and still aren't "allowed" to do things like detain them. And the mother of the boy--rightly heartbroken--is looking to sue for negligence. But what was the staff supposed to do? Mostly these people get paid like $15/hour....who's going to do that job for the high risk and little pay?

It's a fat mess

 

[crossbody]

These kids hard to deal with and they jail-bait. If you lose one you go to jail. If a kid gets lost you go to jail. If a kid runs away from home you go to jail. "You vs. the State" all the time even if they miss too many days of school or are late too many mornings.

I was so glad when my children were no longer minors. I was finally free of the legal aspects "Minor Torture" The worst part comes when they are teenagers in high school.

Like I said before, for those sped students you have to restrain them. It's the same as walking with them you have to hold their hand or wrist firmly. They just do not know any better. Their parents usually warn the school/teachers about them.

 

[Dekster]

That's so sad. We have to do a much better job of keeping an eye on kids especially the "special" ones.

Put a pet tracker on them.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

You have to tie some of these kids up, seriously.

In sped classes in Texas those who pose a danger to themselves and/or others you have to put a kiddie stray jacket around them to keep them in place.

Stray jacket?

 

[JoeB131]

This boy was already in a special class with a one-to-one ratio: three adults, three children.

Due to the fire code, you can generally not lock doors from the inside.

In my state, you are not allowed to touch or detain children unless it's a dire emergency. So, they might have been able to prevent him from going into the pond if they had caught him. But they were probably not allowed to stop him from leaving the building, at least in my state.

What do you suggest?

Firing the teachers and making sure these fucks never work around children again.

Seriously, if three adults can't contain three SMALL children, they probably should be doing something else for a living.