Homeless man helps Houston ISD first grader with special needs who wandered off a mile away from her school

A mom with a kid in Houston Independent School District is not easy solutions and responsibility after her first-grader with special needs disappeared all through dismissal time ultimate week.

It came about Thursday, Sept. 28, at Lantrip Elementary School at the southeast aspect.

“Someone needs to be held accountable,” 6-year-old Serenity’s mom, Mercedes Polk, advised KPRC 2.

At the tip of the school day, Polk attempted to pick out up Serenity as same old from the school, however there used to be no signal of her daughter.

“Staff kept telling me that she’s at the school somewhere, they just don’t know where,” Polk stated.

After ready about quarter-hour, Polk stated she knew one thing used to be incorrect.

After an hour, she adopted an assistant important a mile away to a fuel station close to I-45 and Cullen Boulevard, the place she discovered her daughter who had wandered off, the school important, and Houston police.

“She was hysterically crying. Like, I really thought she was hurt,” Polk stated. “It hurt me. I’m still shaken up by it, actually. It’s very terrifying.”

Serenity advised her mom she attempted to seek out her circle of relatives’s house, which is a 30-minute pressure away, nevertheless it took too lengthy.

It’s now not transparent how Serenity slipped away from school personnel all through dismissal time when she must’ve been entering into her mom’s automobile. As a pupil who in most cases will get picked up, she has a coloured badge and a explicit quantity that will get known as when her journey is able, Polk stated.

“HISD is actively investigating the incident at Lantrip Elementary. Student safety is our top priority, and while we cannot comment on the specifics of the incident at this time, Campus and Division leaders will communicate with students and families as we work to strengthen our systems so to prevent future issues,” an HISD spokesperson wrote in a observation to KPRC 2.

After being reunited with her mom, Polk stated Serenity identified a homeless man within reach, who she claimed helped her.

“He did save her life. Something definitely would have happened to my baby. She could have got hit by a car, kidnapped, anything,” Polk stated.

Polk is now pushing for responsibility, together with an apology from most sensible HISD leaders, and answers, like transportation to school and a devoted aide for her daughter.

“This child could have lost her life because this was an egregious negligence that happened,” New Black Panther Nation activist Candice Matthews stated. “This is an innocent baby and that is unacceptable.”

She echoed Polk’s name for an apology from district leaders, together with Superintendent Mike Miles.

“They need to put safety plans in place for the entire school, not just for my daughter, but for the entire school,” Polk stated.

The circle of relatives met with investigators from Child Protective Services on Tuesday night time. They even have a lacking juvenile case on file with HPD. KPRC 2 has now not showed the standing of an investigation with both company.