Fans of “The Fosters” are still reeling from the big Season 3 loss of actor Jake T. Austin. The ABC Family star announced at the end of Season 2 that he would not be returning for the third season, however the series didn’t kill off the beloved character … they sent him to boarding school!

In the premiere it was revealed that Ana’s (Alexandra Barreto) car accident had no fatalities. Jesus (Austin) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) were a little banged up, but everybody walked away from the crash. The season jumped ahead three weeks, sending Jesus to boarding school and setting up Mariana to help care for Ana’s new baby.

However, the family is not “fine.” Stef (Teri Polo) became bent on finding the hit and run driver, and later confessed to Lena (Sherri Saum) that seeing their adopted children in the accident terrified her. With the crash playing a big part in the premiere, how will Jesus’ boarding school storyline affect the Fosters family? The International Business Times got the scoop straight from stars Teri Polo and Sherri Saum.

“It doesn’t really change the family dynamic,” Polo told IBTimes at the 2015 ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas.

“We can’t stop and pause,” Saum added. “We really don’t have that luxury to stop and pause and luxuriate in our feelings of missing him.”

As fans know, the premiere addressed Jesus’ absence with a phone call. Almost the entire family passed the phone along to tell Jesus that they missed him – or demand that he send back their favorite headphones. However, as the star’s explained, the series doesn’t have time to sit on the phone with an off-screen character.

“He’s still alive, he’s great, he’s doing fine. We’ve got four other teenagers to take care of,” Polo joked. And caring for four teens will prove to be a difficult task this season – especially since they all have their own drama-filled storylines going on.

“At this point the kids start to kind of have their own lives,” Saum dished, explaining that Brandon (David Lambert) has his music and Mariana has her after-school activities. “We’re getting used to seeing less and less of them as they kind of strike out on their own a little bit.”

Of course, fans recently learned that Jesus won’t be gone for long. Although Jake T. Austin exited the series, executive producer Peter Paige confirmed that they will be recasting the role in the future.

“The Fosters” Season 3 airs on ABC Family on Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT.

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