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After child's drowning, committee hears bill requiring same‑day notification and IEP review for student elopement
Summary
House Bill 1204, prompted by a fatal elopement of a nonverbal autistic child, would require same‑day parent notification when a student leaves supervised areas, annual IEP/BIP review of elopement behavior, and state reporting; family members and disability advocates supported the bill.
House Bill 1204, introduced by Delegate Edith Patterson, would require public schools to notify a parent or legal guardian on the same day when a student attempts or successfully elopes from a supervised area or school campus; the bill would also require the student's individualized education program (IEP) team to address elopement behavior at least annually and direct the State Department of Education to develop reporting and accountability tools.
Patterson told the committee the bill was inspired by the drowning death of a young autistic, nonverbal child from Charles County and said the parents had learned late that their child had eloped "more than 700 times during the school year." Patterson said the bill would be named in honor of the child, Ace Alexander, and that she and advocates removed a 24‑hour notice requirement in favor of "same day."
Ace's mother, Bernie Betso, spoke at the hearing and described the child's death and the family's grief. "Elopement wasn't just a term ... It was my daily fear," she told senators, describing how elopement can happen "in the blink of an eye." Andy Kolb of The Arc Maryland and other advocates supported the bill, saying families often are not informed that a child has been wandering until an IEP review or other late stage; Kolb described cases where parents did not learn of repeated elopement incidents until after the school year.
Senators asked about the impact of the amendment changing notification from 24 hours to same day; Patterson and witnesses said same‑day notification and inclusion in the IEP/BIP process would allow parents and schools to coordinate preventative strategies. The bill passed the House unanimously; the committee concluded its hearing without a recorded vote.
