WHEREAS, children with autism spectrum disorder are prone to wandering away from caregivers or safe environments, putting the children at risk of harm or death; and

WHEREAS, one recent study showed that 49 percent of respondents on the autism spectrum had attempted to wander off at least once since age 4 and that, among those who went missing, 24 percent were at risk of drowning and 65 percent in danger of a traffic injury; and

WHEREAS, children with severe autism are more likely to wander; and

WHEREAS, the recent tragic case involving a New York City student, Avonte Oquendo, 14, who walked away from his school in October 2013 and was found dead three months later, has drawn national attention to the problem of wandering among autistic children; and

WHEREAS, United States Senator Chuck Schumer has proposed legislation for the federal government to allocate $10 million to provide: optional electronic tracking devices for children with autism; training for parents, schools and law enforcement on use of the devices; and other methods to assist families of children who wander; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Schumer’s proposed legislation would supplement the funding for a U.S. Justice Department program that grants money to law enforcement agencies and other groups to provide tracking devices for people with Alzheimer’s disease and which has, since Avonte Oquendo’s death, expanded to offer the tracking devices for autistic children; and

WHEREAS, parents are able to choose whether to access the devices for their children, which can be worn around a wrist or ankle, clipped onto a shoelace or even sewn into special clothing; and

WHEREAS, although tracking devices can provide a valuable additional layer of protection for children prone to wander, use of such devices should always supplement and never replace other measures to protect the child’s safety including but not limited to child-specific planning; installation and use of safety equipment such as door alarms, cameras, and similar devices; assignment of additional personnel to support and protect the child, where necessary; and education and training programs for school safety officers, school personnel, law enforcement and adult caregivers; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the United Federation of Teachers supports the proposed legislation known as Avonte’s Law, which would supplement funding for a federal program to give parents of autistic children access to tracking devices and training; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT also supports education and training programs for law enforcement, adult caregivers and schools to help raise awareness about children who wander and address the problem in a cooperative and proactive manner