EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Federal law did require the El Paso Independent School District to have specialized safety measures in place to reduce the risk of the 14-year-old boy with autism killed in a pedestrian crash, from escaping his school, an autism advocate said.
The boy, identified as Joseph Nathanial Caraballo, was struck and killed by an SUV after running across U.S. 54 South in El Paso on Tuesday, September 23.
Family members said Caraballo had a history of eloping, a behavior common in some autistic children. They allege that on Tuesday, Caraballo ran away from the high school he attended, marking the third escape since school began in August.
“He’s not here today. Why is he dead right now? Why did he end up on the highway? Far away from the school,” said Evette Ortiz, Caraballo’s mother.
According to the U.S Department of Education (DOE), all public-school children who receive special education must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Jacquie Benestante, the executive director for the Autism Society of Texas, said IEPs are legally binding documents personalized to each special education student that outline what support and services the student is entitled to from the school, including safety protocols.
“Normally, for a student with a history of wandering and elopement, that IEP should include specific plans for interventions and the staffing needs, so they can minimize that risk,” Benestante said. “There really should be plans and interventions and staffing plans in place to avoid this exact horrible, tragic situation.”
The family shared that Caraballo had level 3 autism, the most severe on the spectrum, which contributed to his tendency to flee from designated safe areas.
The family also said that about a week before Tuesday’s incident, they had met with the school’s special education teachers to discuss a safety plan and other strategies to prevent Caraballo’s escape.
They said the meeting was called after Caraballo went missing for seven hours on August 24.
“His desk was to be furthest from the door. He was supposed to have a para (paraprofessional) with him that only focused on Joey because of his running,” said Alysha Munoz, Caraballo’s oldest sister. “They also talked about using an arm-in-arm method whenever he was going to a bathroom or lunch.”
“Everybody agreed. They signed documents saying that they were going to be there and they were going to support as much as they could, and that things were going to be put in place so that he would stay safe. They failed my brother. They failed my mom,” Munoz added.
EPISD confirmed Caraballo was a student in their district, but they did not specify which school he attended.
KTSM reached out to EPISD for further comment on what safety measures were in place for Caraballo at his school.
At the time of this writing, EPISD has yet to respond.
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