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Parent urges Lewisburg Area SD to overhaul field‑trip safety after autistic student entered open water
Summary
A parent identified only as Amy told the board a student from an autistic support classroom eloped during a field trip and entered open water after staff diverted the group to a local park without explicit parent permission; she asked the board to strengthen supervision, communication and emergency procedures.
Amy, a parent who identified herself during public comment, told the Lewisburg Area School District board she was speaking after a field trip she said had a planned destination of PlayWorld but instead went to a local park with open water.
"My child cannot swim, and he has significant communication limitations," Amy said. She said staff did not have parent permission to be at the park, her child left the group, ran toward the road and jumped into the water, and that immediate rescue was performed by an individual who was not school staff. Parents were not notified through the district’s emergency contact procedures; Amy said she only learned what happened at the end of the day at pickup, and not directly from her child’s teacher.
Amy urged the board to review and strengthen field‑trip procedures, supervision levels for students with known elopement risk, and emergency‑response expectations and training. "Students with significant support needs depend entirely on adults to make safe decisions for them," she said.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the seriousness of the account and thanked the parent for raising the concern in public comment. The superintendent and directors said they would follow up with staff to review procedures and training and to clarify communication protocols for off‑campus activities involving vulnerable students.
Next steps: the board and administration said they would review the incident, revisit field‑trip protocols for students with elevated supervision needs and report back to the board; no formal policy action was recorded during the meeting.
