One of Avonte Oquendo’s teachers knew the autistic teen had a history of running away but never informed his superiors about the boy’s condition before he disappeared from his school, a report released by investigators revealed Thursday.
The 12 -page report by the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation detailed everything that happened on Oct. 4 when the 14-year-old ran out of the Riverview School in Long Island City and disappeared for weeks. Oquendo, who had trouble communicating, and was eventually found dead three months later.
Avonte’s mother informed to teachers about his condition in a parent questionare and gave specific instructions not to leave him out of their sight because of his tendency to run.
“Need 1-1 supervisor, will leave the building,” she wrote.
The boy’s teacher never gave the school’s administrators that questionare and they had no knowledge about his condition, the SCI’s office said. The report added that Avonte’s Individual Education Program, which was signed off by his mother, didn’t provide for one on one supervision.
Surveillance cameras videotaped Avonte running past a school security guard and making it outside. For weeks, officers combed the subways to find the boy and his body was discovered in College Point in June.
Edgar Rodriguez, the principal for the Academy for Careers in Television and Film, which shares the space with Avonte’s school, didn’t make a school wide announcement when the boy went missing because he didn’t want to create panic.
