Illinois Boy Dies After Being Found Hanging in School Bathroom

Fox News ^ | Wednesday, February 04, 2009

[Sopater]

EVANSTON, Ill. — A 10-year-old boy died after he was found hanging from a hook in a bathroom at his suburban Chicago school, and his mother said Wednesday that school officials haven't given her an explanation for what they described as an accident.

Aquan Lewis, a fifth-grader at Oakton Elementary, was found unresponsive and hanging from a hook in a bathroom at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead Wednesday morning at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

[ridesthemiles]

Yeah and in zero’s Cook county school’s, some eighth graders can legally drive to school.”

The parents and the kids can carpool.

[Sopater]

I thought it sounded familiar. Heartbreaking.

[3niner]

How does a kid "accidentally" get on a hook in a bathroom that results in his death?

The bullies just meant to torture him, not kill him, thus an "accident".

[metmom]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

[Joe Boucher]

Oh yeah,
you can bet the farm there will be a few lawsuits over this one.

[pandoraou812]

Prayers for the family.

[RJR_fan]

To quote my excellent article Home schooling for liberty,

The primary advantage of socialist education, we are told, is socialization. The ability to sniff the behinds of those around you, and ascertain your position in the pack, your place in the pecking order. In adult prisons, rapists help to put and keep "fresh meat" in its place. In kiddy penal institutions, bullies serve the same purpose.

Rick Boyer, home school researcher, pointed out once how little schools resemble the "real" world. In the real world, you don't go to work every day with the realistic expectation of a violent physical assault upon your person. Bullies make school days a living hell for way too many children. Evidently, they serve a purpose in the bigger scheme of things -- but I choose not to play any more. My children are lambs of the Lord's flock, not domestic cattle of The State.

[samiam1972]

This makes me ill. I’m looking at my 10 year old boy working on his math, trying so hard not to get distracted by his siblings. I can’t imagine life without him. My prayers go out to the family and the families of those that caused this tragedy.

[Tax-chick]

Your otherwise excellent article understates the role of rapists in government schools.

[Dianna]

The link takes you to an article titled: Early Coroner Report Notes Suicide in Boy’s Hanging Death.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe, but I think it was a reference to the boy’s name, “Aquan.” Clever, if not exactly “funny.”

[Sopater]

The link takes you to an article titled: Early Coroner Report Notes Suicide in Boy’s Hanging Death.

Interesting. It didn't say that when I posted it. I copied the title and first two paragraphs verbatim.

[nothingnew]

I don’t think his reply was supposed to be humorous, but rather a reference to the “smiley face killer”.

If you say so, who am I to argue?. Would rather proudpapa replied to me though...

FMCDH(BITS)

[wintertime]

We had a very case here in Austin, Texas a few months ago much the same. Still no official word on how it happened. ( Tslltex)

Murder most foul! (Palladin)

Your otherwise excellent article understates the role of rapists in government schools.(Tax-chick)

What if a group of children were visiting a parents home and this happened at....say?...a birthday party?

Well....If a parent would have a **lot** of explaining to do, then so should the principal and teachers involved! Teachers and principals should be held to the same Child Protection standards as ordinary parents and citizens.

Accident?...NO WAY! The police, as Tax Chick suggested, should be looking for a school employee or other child who might have sexually abused this child. School employee and student-on-student sexual abuse of students is **common** in our government schools.

[abovethefray]

Was that supposed to be a joke? If so, it is in poor taste.

[Dianna]

Accident?...NO WAY!

The coroner doesn't seem to agree with you. While I wouldn't trust the teachers, students or administrators for a second, the coroner has little at stake.

School employee and student-on-student sexual abuse of students is **common** in our government schools.

Prove it. Give me the numbers. I'll agree that as low as 20% is **common**. Bet you can't come close.

[Dianna]

Please allow me to clarify my own comments. The coroner doesn't seem to agree with you. While I wouldn't trust the teachers, students or administrators for a second, the coroner has little at stake.

By this I mean, the coroner seems to believe this was not a murder but a suicide.

It is, of course, within the realm of possibility that this child was sexually abused and thus killed himself. But both of us know that IF that occurred, it is far more likely that it involved a FAMILY member rather than a school employee.

[Tax-chick]

The police, as Tax Chick suggested, should be looking for a school employee or other child who might have sexually abused this child.

That wasn't the precise point I was making, but now that you mention it, that's not a bad idea. Especially since the most recent version of the article on Fox is saying the authorities think it's a suicide! Either they're crazy, or there's something that led a young boy to hang himself from a hook! (How, I wonder ...)

[Tired of Taxes]

It is, of course, within the realm of possibility that this child was sexually abused and thus killed himself.

Doubtful that he committed suicide, don't you think? I didn't get the impression from wintertime's post that he might've committed suicide after being abused by someone at school. My impression is that, if he were being abused by someone there, that someone might've done this to keep him quiet.

I had a classmate in second grade who was sexually abused by our school janitor. She never thought of committing suicide. At that age - and she was old for our grade - about nine or ten because she couldn't speak English well - she didn't know what he had been doing to her was wrong until she told her family.

It's also hard to believe this is a freak accident, though that's possible, too. It sounds more like there must be someone else involved - some other kids hanging him on a hook and leaving him there as a joke, for example. Or, maybe it's a new kind of game children are playing, sort of like the choking game.

Many, many thoughts and prayers for this poor boy and his mother. So tragic, whatever the cause.