Ptak discussed the idea Wednesday on KTAR’s Mike Broomhead show. She said the department expects the proposed changes to be discussed during the next legislative session. No finalized rule changes were described.

The proposal follows reports that Queen Creek police received more than 600 missing-person calls in less than four years from a campus that includes Canyon State Academy for boys and Desert Lily Academy for girls. Ptak said DCS has about 70 children at the facilities, which have hundreds of beds and serve youth with high needs, including young people who have run away repeatedly from multiple agencies.

Ptak said most children missing from care return within 24 hours and argued that some incidents can reflect ordinary adolescent behavior. She said providers might first call a child, contact friends and try other steps a parent might take before calling police.

But advocates say delays can put vulnerable youth in danger. Xion Ervin-Jenkins, 15, ran away from Canyon State Academy in 2025 after a juvenile court ordered an out-of-home placement. Authorities found him dead from heat exposure six weeks later. His mother, Stephanie Combs, said she had believed he would be safe.

Leila Woodard of the Arizona Missing Children’s Taskforce has warned that missing foster children need urgent attention. Foster youth Emily Pike and Zariah Dodd also died after running away from different group homes in 2025.

Ptak said immediate police notification would remain appropriate for certain youth she considers especially vulnerable, including prior sex-trafficking victims, pregnant teens and children who rely on medication. She said DCS is developing guidance to identify those at-risk groups.

State rules currently require immediate reporting when a child in foster care goes missing. Any change would affect how caregivers respond at a critical moment, balancing the department’s proposed search-first approach against advocates’ concern that a missing child may face immediate danger.