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

For Johana Castellan’s 8-year-old son, it was the first day of school of the new year. It’s a day she and her son will never forget, for all the wrong reasons.

“I knew something had happened,” Castellan said.

Her son has autism and is not allowed to ride the bus. His mother picks him up every day. But on Wednesday, she said, she asked around in the pick-up line for 40 minutes before a teacher finally told her her son had been put on the bus.

“Finally, I was told, ‘He already got off the bus,’ and the principal herself told me, ‘He’s not in the building. You have to go look for him,'” Castellan said.

The first place she could look was her home. She raced there and found her son screaming and crying at the corner of the busy intersection of 29th and Texas Avenue.

“I actually found him on the street. He was crying hysterically. He was scared and confused and thinking, ‘What’s going on?'” Castellan said.

The busy intersection has no sidewalks and is often crowded with large trucks heading to and from refineries, as well as fast-moving vehicles.

“It is very dangerous to walk here with a child,” Castellan said.

The concerned mother said she didn’t receive an apology until the same day the assistant principal finally contacted her. She was told it could take 60 days for the district to complete its investigation into the incident. She said something needs to change now.

“I want them to be held publicly accountable because I don’t want any other family to have to go through what he and I went through,” Castellan said.

She has now sent her son to a new primary school, but despite the promise that he would be waiting for her when she picked him up on Friday, she is nervous.

“Anything could have happened to him. He could have been hit by a car. He could have been taken away. This is every parent’s worst nightmare coming true,” Castellan said.

A statement from Texas City ISD said:

“We are aware of an incident in which a student who was supposed to drive a car was mistakenly placed on a bus and later found walking on the sidewalk. This incident occurred on the first day of school and was the result of a failure to follow established protocols for dismissing students.”

“Our initial investigation revealed that the student’s account had a bus assignment linked to it, which resulted in the teacher classifying him as the bus driver rather than confirming how the child would get home on the first day and subsequent days. Since the child was assigned to the bus, the driver transported the student to the assigned bus stop according to the schedule.”

“After discovering the error, our campus staff immediately coordinated with the transportation department to locate the student and assist the parents. We recognize the seriousness of the situation and are relieved that the student was found unharmed.”

“We have discussed this serious error with the staff member involved and have taken steps to ensure such an oversight does not occur again. We are reviewing and strengthening our dismissal protocols with all staff to ensure the safety and appropriate care of all of our students.”

“In addition, a central office administrator has met with parents to discuss the situation and organize the 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 incidents. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our students and we are committed to consistently maintaining these standards.”

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