FERGUSON, Mo. — Dropping your child off at school is an act of trust. You trust the school will look out for them.
And that at the end of the day, your child will be there.
But one Ferguson mother told the I-Team her kid's school lost her special needs son, and then laughed in her face when she came to find him.
"Oh my god I was hysterical," said Sandra Stepney, describing how she reacted when staff at McCluer High School couldn't find her son this week.
"[The receptionist] tells me 'James is not in that class.' I'm like 'Excuse you? Where is he?' She says,
'We can't locate him,'" said Stepney.
Stepney had called the school to talk to her special needs son.
James, 15, has Asperger's and learning disabilities. And he's supposed to receive personalized attention from school staff. But Stepney said no staff could find him.
"I didn't know if he was somewhere inside the school, something happened to him, did one of the kids put something in his food? I did not know, so I was hysterical," said Stepney.
Worse, Stepney said, nobody seemed to be looking for him.
"I asked [the receptionist] to get on the PA system. She says, 'Oh no, we're not allowed to do that. It will disrupt class.' I'm seeking to find my child. I want you to find my child…now," said Stepney.
Ninety minutes and more than a dozen phone calls later, James walked back into class.
Statement the Ferguson-Florissant School District:
"The student was supervised during the entire time in question and was with another teacher in the intervention classroom.
There was a communication breakdown between school and home. We know good, clear communication between school and home is important. School administration has spoken with and listened to the parent and addressed the communication issues with staff."
The district also admitted a substitute teacher in charge of James' class didn't realize he was missing. A district spokesperson said the substitute teacher involved will no longer be working at McClure High School.
"They are responsible for our children," said Stepney.
Stepney said she wants an apology from several school employees she says simply laughed at her when she came looking for her son.
And she wants the school to do a better job of watching out for vulnerable students.
"It's no excuse for them not being able to get on the PA system. It's no excuse for them not knowing his whereabouts. When my son goes to school, McClure is responsible to keep up with him every second from one class to the next. That did not happen," said Stepney.
