State lawmaker reacts to children left in daycare vehicles, plans to push for legislation to protect families
HOUSTON - New information has emerged in recent cases involving children left in hot daycare vans and buses in the Houston area.
Parents of the five-year-old left inside a daycare van in Pearland for nearly an hour this week tell FOX 26 that a staff member at The Learning Experience put ice packs on their child after they found him.
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State investigators have also told them they're investigating more incidents in the area this week with kids left behind in vehicles.
Jerry Murphy says after the story aired on FOX 26 about his son's terrifying experience on the Greengate Academy bus in Spring, other parents shared similar situations online.
"People are saying I experienced this, and I should have reported that," says Murphy. "Everybody is outraged and upset."
State Representative Jarvis Johnson says these incidents are happening too often, and he's hoping to see something done on a legislative level soon to protect children.
In 2019, Johnson filed House Bill 3381, in honor of 3-year-old Raymond "RJ" Pryer, Jr. Pryer died after being left in a hot daycare van July 2018. The measure would have required facilities to install a video camera in every vehicle used to transport more than one child, seven years or younger, at a time. Video would be used in an investigation or a report of neglect. The bill failed to get bipartisan support.
"Many times people were just saying costs associated with it was too much," says Johnson. "It was too much responsibility for the daycare centers is what the committee said, but there's never a cost that we can place on a child's life."
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The lawmaker and former daycare owner says until measures like that are passed, he encourages parents to speak up for their children, and hold daycare centers accountable.
"Make sure to ask a lot of questions," says Johnson. "And if you don't have a proper van, proper seat belts or the necessities to make parents feel comfortable, then you shouldn't be in business. And I certainly would encourage parents to look elsewhere."