Mom blames school for child's death! - Said 8-y-o fell ill after punishment

n Said 8-y-o fell ill after punishment

An autopsy is to be conducted today to determine how an eight-year-old student died.

The child became ill more than two weeks ago at a St Catherine school. She was admitted to the Bustamante Hospital for Children on March 6, but died three days later.

The child's mother told THE STAR that she took ill after she was made to stand in the sun as punishment by a teacher.

"If that teacher never gave her that punishment that wouldn't happen to her. When we go up the school, the children were showing us how the teacher punished her and the principal run dem. Mi nuh know of her having any sickness, a since she get the punishment," said the mother who broke down crying. "Mi pickney a healthy, healthy baby."

When THE STAR visited the school yesterday, the principal said she was advised by the Education Ministry not to speak with the media, but to prepare and submit a report.

neck pain

The distraught mother, who has two other children, said her daughter came home from school one evening complaining of the effects of the punishment. "She come home and a cry for pain in her neck and back.

She said "Mommy, from mi get the punishment a bare pain'," she remembered, adding that the child was rushed and admitted to the hospital after suffering multiple seizures.

She said a lack of bus fares caused her not to see her daughter the day she died. "We go visit her Monday, Tuesday, and we couldn't go Wednesday because we never have any money. We gave her a cell phone to keep in contact with us. When we call the phone [in the morning] she answered and later in the day when we call back, we nuh get no answer. When we went up there, we got the news," recalled the mother.

She said her daughter was a promising student at school where she won an award for Highest Achiever, a Super Speller certificate, and a Top Speller badge. The mother said the school gave her $5,000 to offset initial medical cost.