HOUSTON - The Houston day care where a toddler died after being left in a hot van has been ordered to close.
Officials with Texas Health and Human Services say they revoked Discovering Me Academy’s permit on Sept. 6, requiring the day care to close.
The day care has asked for a review of the decision.
R.J. Pryer, Jr., 3, died after being left in a hot van at Discovering Me Academy on July 19. He was discovered when his father arrived at the day care to pick him up. The temperature inside the car was 113 degrees, deputies said.
R.J.’s parents filed a lawsuit against Discovering Me Academy accusing them of negligence for not having systems in place to account for all children on field trips, especially during extreme heat.
KHOU 11 found Discovering Me Academy was cited by the state at least three times in recent years for not having a safety alarm that helps verify children are not left onboard and for not immediately reporting a crash involving a van.
The day care was also cited for not knowing the number of children in a group during a previous outing.