SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Update Sept. 4 at 9:20 p.m.: A non-verbal boy with autism escaped Southern Elementary School in Scott County undetected Friday morning, walking to a nearby neighborhood and entering a stranger's home just 4 minutes after his mother handed him directly to a school employee at drop-off.
"I hand him over directly every day out of the car to a paraeducator, and that, that's the part I didn't get. Four minutes of getting out of my car, he was on the playground," she said.
She said she dropped her son off around 7:17 a.m. and he had escaped through a door by 7:21 a.m. She said he was on the playground for around 40 minutes without an adult.
"Then he left from the playground at that time, again with no adult, to a neighboring neighborhood in the back, and went into a couple's home. And this couple called 911," she said.
The couple kept her son safe until police arrived. She said she was not notified until after police contacted the school.
"Two hours of not being called after the incident, that's a very big red flag," she said.
The mother said her son has a history of elopement and the school was aware of that risk. He has an IEP and receives special education services.
Scott County Schools Spokesperson Renee Holmes confirmed the incident. Holmes said the student was located and the principal spoke directly with the parents. The incident is now under investigation.
The mother said the school told her it is placing a device on the swing door and providing more education to staff — a response she called unacceptable.
"They said that they are placing a device on the swing door and providing more education to the staff. To me, it's unacceptable," she said.
She said she wants more than a short-term fix. While homeschooling is not an option because her son needs the school's services, she said she needs to be able to trust the people providing them.
"It's very fearful. It makes me to the point where I don't really trust anymore. Because you entrust that your child's gonna safely go to school," she said.
She said the situation could have ended far worse.
"Something worse could have happened to my child. He could have been run over by a vehicle. He could have been kidnapped," she said.
Original Story: A Scott County mother is raising concerns about her child's safety at school after her child, who is non-verbal and has autism, left Southern Elementary School undetected.
The parent claims her child was missing for an hour before police located him. She also claims the school was not aware the student had left the building until police called to notify them.
The mother tells LEX News that she is concerned about the school's ability to keep her child safe.
Scott County Schools Spokesperson Renee Holmes confirmed the incident and said the district is investigating the incident.
Holmes provided the following statement on behalf of Scott County Schools: "A student from Southern Elementary School left the building undetected on the morning of September 4, 2026 passing through the playground and making his way to the adjacent neighborhood. The student was located and the principal communicated directly with the parents of the student. The matter is currently being investigated and Scott County Schools is working in partnership with local agencies as is customary in cases of child elopement."
LEX News reached out to Georgetown Police and they referred us to Scott County Schools.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update you as more information becomes available.
