A child bolted from the carpool line at Spectrum Academy in Pleasant Grove and ran straight into an active construction site last month, according to a parent who says the site had nothing more than caution tape separating backhoes, open foundations, and exposed rebar from students. The parent, who has several children with autism, says school staff surrounded the child to keep him safe while crews halted work, but the incident has reignited a fight over why the site along a busy road wasn’t properly fenced in the first place.
The parent described the scene to KUTV, saying the construction zone in front of the school featured backhoes, dump trucks, open foundations, and exposed rebar just steps from where children walk along the sidewalk to cross the street. She said semi-trucks have driven over the curb next to the site, and that carpool traffic already includes cars entering and leaving on the same busy stretch of road. As of Tuesday, the site was separated from Spectrum Academy and the road by only two lines of caution tape, the outlet reported.
Spectrum Academy told the station that the student was attended by trained personnel and administrators at all times during the incident, and that staff and the construction crew worked together to support and protect him. The school said it prioritizes student safety, privacy, and dignity, and declined to provide further comment about what happened. According to the school, many of its students are developmentally and socially delayed and can suddenly run when agitated, often because they struggle with loud noises.
A Parent’s Repeated Warnings to the City
The parent said she contacted Pleasant Grove City about the elopement incident, and that this wasn’t her first attempt to flag safety concerns. She said she had reached out multiple times before about dangerous pickup and drop-off traffic patterns near the school, and that the city was not proactive about her reported concerns until the child actually ran into the site. She also said she moved from out of state specifically so her children could attend Spectrum Academy, which serves many families seeking autism resources, support, and specialized education.
She questioned why fencing was installed only after media involvement, telling the station she believes the response should not have required press attention to materialize. Pleasant Grove Mayor Eric Jensen was contacted about the safety concerns, and the city said it reached out to the construction contractor following the incident. By Tuesday, crews had begun putting up new barrier fencing, and the construction company confirmed to Spectrum Academy that it is installing a physical fence and additional barriers to mitigate the safety risk.
Why Elopement Is a Life-or-Death Issue for Autistic Kids
The parent described elopement as the leading cause of death for autistic children, a concern borne out by national data. Research published in Pediatrics found that 49% of children with autism spectrum disorder attempt to wander or elope from safe environments after age 4, a rate nearly four times higher than in their neurotypical siblings, according to Autism Speaks. Surveillance data published by the National Autism Association found that among reported missing-person cases involving autistic children between 2011 and 2016, accidental drowning accounted for 71% of fatalities, while traffic injuries accounted for 18%.
A 2019 study in Contemporary Pediatrics found that 65% of parents with autistic children who eloped had experienced a close call with traffic, and 58% ranked wandering among their most stressful parenting challenges. The same association's 2025 safety reporting found that drowning and traffic-related wandering incidents account for an average of seven autistic child fatalities per month in the U.S. across home, community, and school settings. Sensory overload or exit-seeking behavior during noisy, chaotic transitions like a carpool line is a well-documented trigger, according to the National Autism Association.
Caution Tape Doesn’t Meet Safety Standards, Regulators Say
Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations under 29 CFR 1926 make clear that plastic caution tape alone does not satisfy physical barrier or guardrail requirements for isolating hazardous work areas or fall hazards on active construction sites, according to OSHA guidance. That standard undercuts the two lines of tape that, until this week, were the only thing standing between the Pleasant Grove dig site and a school built specifically for children who are statistically more likely to run toward danger without warning.
Pleasant Grove City code enforcement and building ordinances require developers to secure proper permits, submit site plans, and comply with safety setback and perimeter enclosure rules before major excavation work begins, per the city's own building division guidelines. Spectrum Academy first opened its Pleasant Grove campus in August 2014 to relieve enrollment pressure from its flagship North Salt Lake location, and the campus now serves several hundred students in K-12 grades focused on autism-specific education and support services.
What Happens Next
With crews now installing permanent fencing and additional barriers, the immediate hazard that sent a child running toward open foundations and exposed rebar appears to be getting addressed. What remains unresolved is why the caution tape was considered adequate in the first place, and what additional traffic control measures the city plans for the carpool corridor going forward. Those questions, raised directly by the parent who pushed for action, have not yet been publicly answered by Pleasant Grove officials.
