School loses track of child with autism

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - A mother is worried after her 4-year-old son with special needs wandered away from a summer school program and out onto the streets. 

No one bothered to call her until after her son was found, she said.

Boyd Martinez is in pre-kindergarten. He has been diagnosed with autism and was getting some extra help in an extended learning program when he ran away from the playground and his teachers.

It's not clear how long he was missing.

"The estimate was 15 minutes but we're not 100 percent sure exactly how long," Boyd's mother Kristina Martinez told KRQE News 13.

She says it's possible Boyd was gone for about 30 minutes.

Boyd was outside playing with his class last Thursday at Enchanted Hills Elementary School in Rio Rancho when he ran off.

"I was told he made it across the street from the school and wandered into a residential area," his mother added.

A neighbor found the boy and called police. Martinez said the school did not call her or the police, and said she wasn't told about the incident until she picked Boyd up from school that afternoon.

Boyd ran away in the heat of the day, and his mom is simply thankful for the neighbor whom she calls a saint.

The school is about a block away from the intersection of State Road 528 and Corrales Road. The highway is one of Rio Rancho's busiest streets, and Martinez does not want to think about what would have happened had her son walked the other direction instead.

"He struggles with social situations," she explained "Just even saying hi."

Martinez said she's called the school but hasn't gotten many answers. She said she is not mad at the teacher, who was doing her best and ought not to be punished.

Boyd is known to run, she added, although that doesn't matter,  Something needs to change, Martinez said.

"I want to see the district step up and get the proper ratios for the teachers," she continued.  "They are amazing, and they deserve better student-to-teacher ratios."

Martinez would like to thank the man who found Boyd and called the police, but the school did not take his name or number.

A spokesperson for the Rio Rancho School District told News 13 all policies and procedures were followed in this case, but they will review what happened to see if there should be any changes.