Wednesday, September 10, 2025

New Maryland law requires schools to notify parents when children wander away

TIMONIUM, Md. — Maryland schools are now required to notify parents the same day a child wanders or elopes at school, thanks to a new law named after a 3-year-old boy with autism who drowned after wandering from home.

In 2024, Brittany Bledsoe, a Gaithersburg resident, experienced an unspeakable tragedy when her son, Ace, wandered away and drowned in their Montgomery County apartment complex's pool.

The following year, she helped lobby Annapolis for a law named after her son.

Autism advocates commend law ahead of new school year
Posted 4:52 PM, Aug 18, 2025
 
and last updated 10:02 AM, Aug 28, 2025

TIMONIUM, Md. — Maryland schools are now required to notify parents the same day a child wanders or elopes at school, thanks to a new law named after a 3-year-old boy with autism who drowned after wandering from home.

WATCH: New Maryland law requires schools to notify parents when children wander away

In 2024, Brittany Bledsoe, a Gaithersburg resident, experienced an unspeakable tragedy when her son, Ace, wandered away and drowned in their Montgomery County apartment complex's pool.

The following year, she helped lobby Annapolis for a law named after her son.

"If your kid is at school and wandering, you should know that," Bledsoe told WMAR-2 News on Monday.

"They might wander at school, and not at home," she noted.

Shelly McLaughlin, program director for Pathfinders for Autism, explained more about the law's effects...

https://www.wmar2news.com/local/new-maryland-law-requires-schools-to-notify-parents-when-children-wander-away

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