A Chula Vista mother said her 15-year-old Hilltop High School student with autism was repeatedly left sitting on a hot school bus without air conditioning and was later hospitalized for severe dehydration.

Marisol Wojciechowski said her son, Gabriel, a freshman, and a handful of his classmates with special needs are released from school at least 30 minutes before the rest of the students. She said they then sit on the bus in stifling temperatures while waiting for the other students to join them.

Wojciechowski said Gabriel typically does not complain because of his autism, making it difficult for him to tell her when something is wrong or when he is getting too hot.

She first noticed he wasn’t feeling well when he came home from school in early September during a heat wave. The high temperature in Chula Vista the week Gabriel went to the hospital was 97 degrees.

“He had nosebleeds, really bad headaches and he didn’t want to do nothing. And then when he would get off the bus, he was lightheaded and I was like, ‘are you okay?” said Wojciechowski. “Right away I would put ice pack on him on his neck and gave him water.”

After several days of symptoms, Wojciechowski took Gabriel to the emergency room.

“He was very dehydrated. They had to keep him there to give him IV fluids.”

Wojciechowski said she drove to the school the next day and experienced the conditions on the bus herself.

“He was drenched in sweat. And the bus driver was telling me that once he’s released to him, he couldn’t get off the bus. And I was like, ‘no.’ I got on the bus and said ‘Gabriel, go get in the car. Sit in the car. There’s air conditioning and I’ll be right there,” Wojciechowski said.

Wojciechowski asked the bus driver if this is a “normal thing” for the kids to sit in the bus for prolonged amounts of time, to which he replied yes.

Wojciechowski said she wants Sweetwater Union High School District to change its policies and prioritize students’ safety during hot weather.

“I want them to put the kids first. Leaving them on the bus is not safe, not even for five minutes during the heat,” Wojciechowski said.

Sweetwater Union High School District has not responded to requests for comment.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.