The tragic death of a teen with autism is raising questions about whether students with disabilities are getting the support they need at school.
Barbara Deane Williams, superintendent of the Rochester City School District, said Trevyan Rowe -- who died in the Genesee River after wandering away from School 12 -- was classified by the district as having learning disabilities, but he was not classified with autism.
Ann Cole, a volunteer and former board member of Autism Up, says the correct classification is important because it determines the type of services a special needs student will get.
"For instance, someone with autism doesn't automatically get a one-to-one aide, as I've heard reported. It has to be decided by a committee on special education if the safety needs of that student warrant a one-to-one aide."
Cole is also concerned about whether kids with developmental disabilities are being accepted and cared for in their school environments, by both adults and peers.
"If we can prevent some of the mental health ... that feeling of being segregated and ostracized; if we can prevent that and even one person is prevented from doing something, whether it's walking away from school and safety or walking toward something that's going to create death, wouldn't that be awesome?"
Trevyan Rowe's family was not aware that he was absent from school last Thursday until that evening when he failed to come home.