Parents sue daycare over the death of their 3-year-old son

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The parents of a boy who died in a hot daycare van last month filed a lawsuit against the daycare on Tuesday morning.

Raymond and DiKiesha Pryer say Discovering Me Academy in Northwest Houston was negligent and should be shutdown.

Their son, R.J., was left in a daycare van for about 4 hours after returning from a field trip.

FOX 26 attempted to speak to someone at the daycare but was turned away and told “No comment.” 

The family accuses Discovering Me Academy of not having the proper systems to account for children on field trips.

Larry Wilson, their attorney, says his clients were unaware that the Department of Family and Protective Services noted seven violations in the last three years. One of those was in 2015 when the daycare had been found not to have child safety alarms in their new vans.

MORE: Boy dies after being left in hot daycare van

They are pushing for the facilities to be required to give parents past state inspection reports.

“Things like that would certainly, I think, give more teeth to the regulations and make facilities want to do things better,” Wilson said.

The Pryers are also hoping to turn their pain into change.

“I want to make sure this don't happen anybody ever again. I don’t want [anybody] to feel like we feel bc we’re destroyed right now,” Mr. Pryer told FOX 26. 

The parents are also working to create a foundation, the RJ Foundation 4 Kids to advocate for more technology and regulations to keep kids safe. 

“He’s irreplaceable and we just have to be here today to bring awareness because we can’t get him back,” said Mrs. Pryer tearfully.

To check a Texas daycare's inspection report, click here.