A Lexington family filed suit against Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) after a 7 year old nonverbal boy with autism escaped onto New Circle Road. He had climbed out of his classroom window, entered the school yard, and ran along the road for nearly twenty minutes without being reported missing. The suit was filed on March 11, and named the FCPS Board of Education, Superintendent Demetrius Liggins, and several staff members at Meadowthorpe Elementary as defendants.
The complaint describes the child being dropped off at Meadowthorpe Elementary on November 17, 2025, and being placed in the school’s moderate to severe disability classroom around 12:01 p.m. In the complaint, it was stated that the child is well known for being drawn to the classroom’s window and attempting to open it. A teacher had reportedly requested a lock be placed on the window around a month before the incident, but according to the complaint, no lock had been installed at the time of the incident.
Around 12:33 p.m. that day, the child climbed out of the open, unattended window, exiting the building unnoticed by any adult in the classroom. The complaint stated that for the next 19 minutes the child roamed the school yard, completely visible on the school’s security cameras, without alarming any adult.
The child then found a hole in the fence separating school property from New Circle Road, a heavily trafficked roadway that was under construction at the time, and proceeded to climb through it according to the complaint. The child then ran along the road, and was reported by one 911 caller as attempting to climb over concrete barriers into lanes of travel.
Lexington Animal Care and Control, which was in the area for an unrelated call, was able to find the child and secure him. At the time of police arrival, the child still required physical restraint to prevent him from running back into the road.
Following police arrival, the complaint states that the child was in extreme stress, vomiting immediately and exhibiting an elevated heart rate. He was then transported to the UK Pediatric Emergency Center. At this point, staff at Meadowthorpe Elementary had still not reported the child missing.
This event exhibits a severe case of neglect on behalf of FCPS, and will hopefully be resolved through this case.
