A Las Vegas father says his 7-year-old son, who is nonverbal and diagnosed with autism, slipped away from Manch Elementary during recess, crossed a nearby street and ended up in a neighboring apartment complex before anyone from the school caught on. Neighbors eventually found the boy alone, and the family says the scare exposed serious gaps in supervision and triggered a district review.
Father Bryant Jordan said school officials later showed him surveillance footage that appears to show his son walking off campus, crossing a parking lot and a street, then wandering into nearby apartments. The Clark County School District told FOX5 Las Vegas that educators follow protocols for elopement, and that administrators identified the student had “eloped within minutes” and launched an immediate search.
Jordan said the school’s initial explanation made the situation sound far less serious than what he later saw on the footage. Neighbors told the station that a security camera in the complex recorded the child walking between apartment buildings until someone stepped in, stopped him and escorted him back toward the school. Jordan has praised those neighbors for acting quickly while calling for clearer, enforceable steps from the school to keep students, especially those with special needs, from slipping away again.
How Common Is Elopement Among Children With Autism?
This type of wandering is a well documented safety risk. A 2012 Pediatrics study found that roughly half of families reported their child with autism had attempted to elope at least once after age four, and about a quarter of those episodes lasted long enough to cause serious worry. The research also shows that many wandering incidents involve close calls with traffic or water, underscoring why quick notification and individualized safety plans matter. The full study is available on PubMed Central.
Past Complaints at the School
Manch Elementary had already been on some parents’ radar. Local reporting from January highlighted surveillance footage in which a Clark County aide is accused of dragging a special-needs student down a hallway, and authorities later made an arrest in that case. That earlier episode is part of the broader pattern parents point to when pressing the district for changes in policy and staff training, as reported by KOLD.
What Families and the District Say Will Happen Next
Jordan says he wants concrete changes at Manch Elementary to prevent another close call. The district has told reporters it is working with the family and debriefing staff to keep similar incidents from happening again. Experts and pediatric organizations commonly recommend tools such as individualized safety plans, staff training focused on elopement risk, rapid parent notification systems, and identification or tracking strategies for students who are at higher risk of wandering. For practical guidance and prevention tips, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers resources on wandering and safety at HealthyChildren.org.
