Autistic 6-year-old dropped off at wrong school

A 6-year-old autistic boy was dropped off at the wrong school Thursday, two weeks after an autistic child was left on a school bus for six hours. The boy?s father, Robert Irizarry, received a call from

News 12 Staff

Oct 31, 2008, 10:33 PM

Updated 5,824 days ago

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A 6-year-old autistic boy was dropped off at the wrong school Thursday, two weeks after an autistic child was left on a school bus for six hours.
The boy?s father, Robert Irizarry, received a call from a teacher at P.S. 107 an hour after he put his son on the school bus, saying the boy was missing. Irizarry was eventually notified that the child was accidentally dropped off at a different school. When Irizarry picked his son up, he tried to find out what happened, but the child could not provide him with any information.
?He just seemed very reserved,? Irizarry says. ?For half an hour he would just nod his head.?
Irizarry says he finally met the driver and expected the man to be apologetic about the incident. Instead, Irizarry says, the driver claimed that the boy must have fallen asleep or didn?t get off at the right stop.
?But he?s 6 and has no idea when he?s supposed to get off the bus,? Irizarry insists.
The father filed complaints with the Department of Education and Consolidated Bus Transit, which came under scrutiny in September when one of its drivers showed up five hours late to drop students off at home.
An attorney for the bus company says the usual escort for the children was out sick, and the substitute let Irizarry?s son off at the wrong stop. The company is looking into disciplinary action for the substitute.
While the DOE investigates the incident, Irizarry says he will be taking his son to school.