Texas City mom transfers son with autism to new school after he was 'mistakenly placed on a bus'

TEXAS CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- A Texas City mother said her 8-year-old son with autism was put on a random school bus and dropped off at an unknown location on Wednesday. She said she was left to find him on her own.

It was the first day of the school year for Johana Castellan's 8-year-old son. It's a day that she and her son will remember for all the wrong reasons.

"I knew something had happened," Castellan said.

Her son has autism and isn't cleared to ride the bus. His mom picks him up every day. But on Wednesday, she said it took 40 minutes of her asking around the pickup line before a teacher finally told her that her son had been put on a bus.

"I was finally told, 'He was already off of a bus,' and the principal herself told me, 'He's not in the building. You need to go find him,'" Castellan said.

The first place she could think to look was home. She sped in that direction and found her son screaming and crying on the corner of the busy 29th and Texas Avenue intersection.

"I did find him walking up this road. He was hysterically crying. He was scared and confused, like, 'What was going on?'" Castellan said.

The busy intersection has no sidewalks and is often packed with large trucks going to and from the refineries and vehicles driving fast.

"It's very dangerous to have a child walking down here," Castellan said.

The worried mother said she didn't get an apology until the deputy superintendent finally got in touch with her later that day. She's been told it could take 60 days for the district to finalize its investigation into what happened. She said change needs to happen now.

"I want them to be publicly accountable because I don't want any other family to go through what him and I have been through," Castellan said.

She has since transferred her son to a new elementary school, but even with the promise that he'll be waiting for her at pickup Friday, she's on edge.

"Anything could have happened to him. He could have been hit by a vehicle. He could have been picked up. So every parent's worst nightmare comes to life," Castellan said.

In a statement from Texas City ISD, they said:

"We are aware of the incident where a student, who was supposed to be a car rider, was mistakenly placed on a bus and later found walking on a sidewalk. This incident, which occurred on the first day of school, resulted from a failure to follow established protocols for student dismissal."

"Our initial investigation revealed that the student had a bus assignment linked to his account, which led the teacher to labeling him as a bus rider instead of confirming how the child would get home on the first day and the days following. Since the child was assigned to the bus, the driver, following the roster, transported the student to the assigned bus stop."

"Upon discovering the error, our campus staff immediately coordinated with the transportation department to locate the student and assist the parent. We understand the gravity of this situation and are relieved that the student was found safe."

"We have addressed this serious lapse with the involved staff member and have taken steps to ensure such an oversight does not happen again. We are reviewing and reinforcing our dismissal protocols with all personnel to secure the safety and proper care of all our students."

"Additionally, a central office administrator has met with the parent to discuss the situation and facilitate any necessary support, including a campus transfer."

"We deeply regret this incident and are committed to making the necessary improvements to our processes to prevent future occurrences. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we are dedicated to upholding these standards consistently."

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