Martinsville High School Student Chokes to Death at School (Teacher prevented 911 call)

WISH Channel 8 TV ^ | 3/10/06

[Samwise]

Several Martinsville High School students say teachers stopped their calls to 911 while a fellow student was choking, because cell phones aren't allowed on campus.

Witnesses tell police the victim was rushing to finish his lunch before leaving the cafeteria, because you can't bring food outside. That's when they say he started choking, went into cardiac arrest, and died at the hospital.

Multiple 911 calls went out from Martinsville High School.

Witnesses say Jesse Tucker choked on a hamburger. Paramedics rushed the 15 year-old freshman to the hospital, where he later died.

"It's really hard to grasp the fact that you witnessed someone's death," says one student, "It's really hard to take in."

24 Hour News 8 spoke to another student witness who also wants to remain anonymous. He says one of his friends tried to call 911 with his cell phone, but just as he reached an operator, he says a teacher closed his phone saying cell phones aren't allowed on campus.

"She just closed his phone. She didn't do much to help the situation. She was panicky, she didn't go to the nurse's office," says one of the students.

Martinsville Police Chief Frans Hollanders says the investigation is still in preliminary stages, and at this point, investigators aren't pointing fingers.

"We've heard rumors to such an effect, that a cell phone was slapped out of a kids hand," Hollanders says, "We haven't been able to determine that at all whatsoever."

School officicals wouldn't talk on camera, but we caught up with an assistant superintendent and he issued this statement, "We are still in shock. We do believe the teacher did everything she could in the situation."

The police chief is encouraging witnesses to share their stories with investigators.

24 Hour News 8 did speak to Jesse's father Friday night. Understandably, he says he's still in shock and just wants to know exactly what happened.

An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday morning.

[null and void]

I think it might be a bit more pernicious than that.

It allows the admin to beat up on the very students least likely to cause them problems, while not offending the real troublemakers.

You know. The ones who just might hurt an admin type.

The admin type can tell anyone who asks that they have expelled n% of the students under a zero tolerance program, and that they are doing all they can to make the school a safe place, while blandly ignoring the school bullies...

[Blue Jays]

Hi On The Road To Serfdom-

We're of the same viewpoint. This would be an ideal place to slap around the NEA knuckleheads and their absurd policies, but in this situation it doesn't make sense. The poor kid died due to food caught in his trachea. Very sad.

~ Blue Jays ~

[Valpal1]

This just high lights the utter uselessness of jr high and high school health curriculums.

At our local school they waste an entire semester droning about birth control and STDs.

In that same amount of time, students could have studied and received First Aid/CPR and Food Handlers certificates. Things that would actually improved their chances of summer employment.

It's just pathetic how they waste time, resources and peoples lives instead of adopting what should be an obvious training program for all 13-15 year olds.

[On the Road to Serfdom]

Well then to refute the poster you need stats broken down by race on "gang members, rapists, violent attackers and murderers" and all other expellable offenses, not just a claim about a small subset of murder representing 0.001% of expellable offenses.

[null and void]

When the all facts come out (assuming they do) we may find that this was a tragic accident, and the kid was beyond all help of man from the get go, and that everyone did the best 'reasonable and prudent' actions that they could.

Sh!t happens.

But, my money's on robotic rule following as having a big part...

[Amelia]

The admin type can tell anyone who asks that they have expelled n% of the students under a zero tolerance program, and that they are doing all they can to make the school a safe place, while blandly ignoring the school bullies...

You know, in actual practice it's a bit more difficult perhaps than you might think.

You know that there are people out there who might "go postal" and commit violence, but you also know that most of the people who make threats such as "I'm gonna KILL you!" are just joking...

But sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, and if you have to err, on which side would you want to err?

Note that in no way am I justifying some of the "prosecutions" such as the kid with the butter knife, just pointing out that sometimes things aren't totally black & white.

[Amelia]

Well then to refute the poster you need stats broken down by race on "gang members, rapists, violent attackers and murderers" and all other expellable offenses, not just a claim about a small subset of murder representing 0.001% of expellable offenses.

Why? The poster had no stats to back up her claim either.

IIRC, the "zero tolerance" policies for weapons were mostly begun after Columbine & a couple of similar incidents.

[null and void]

sometimes things aren't totally black & white.

Yeah. Ain't that the truth!

It's easy for us, sitting in the comfort of our homes, safely hiding behind our keyboards and monitors, to throw rocks at the front line troops.

Wish I knew a way to formulate a hard and fast common sense rule.

< /Richter scale irony>

[SFC Chromey]

who says the teacher was in their right mind?

[montag813]

He says one of his friends tried to call 911 with his cell phone, but just as he reached an operator, he says a teacher closed his phone saying cell phones aren't allowed on campus.

If that were my son, the so-called teacher would have been knocked to the ground and then call would have been made.

[I'm ALL Right!]

That teacher will never recover...and she may face charges.

Not that I am defending her negligent, ignorant actions, but the emotional torment she will face will certainly never end. I pity her, and pray for her along with the family.

[null and void]

Assuming, of course, that he/she isn't a sociopath.

(Odds are that's a good assumption)

[Amelia]

If that were my son, the so-called teacher would have been knocked to the ground and then call would have been made.

If that were my son, and I'd happened to have been at school that day, I'd have been doing the Heimlich maneuver.

By the way, SEVERAL calls were made, according to the article. 911 was called, EMS came, EMS transported the student to the hospital, where he later died.

[Amelia]

Wish I knew a way to formulate a hard and fast common sense rule.

I do too. As the mother & sister of boys, I know they are frequently interested in weapons but not interested in shooting innocent people.

And, since we live in a fairly rural area, a lot of kids are avid hunters and own guns.

It would be hell to miss a cue and feel responsible for someone getting hurt, however.

[On the Road to Serfdom]

Why? The poster had no stats to back up her claim either.

I thought your stat (which may not even be true, depending on how one defines the event) was refuting the claim that black students are more likely to commit expellable offenses. That is why I asked for clarification, which you did not provide in your reply. There is pressure on schools in some communities to expel less blacks and more whites due to a history of blacks being expelled at higher rates. (This is in my opinion due to culture, single parent homes, or whatever causes the rate of violence to be higher for black students.) Do you deny that?

IIRC, the "zero tolerance" policies for weapons were mostly begun after Columbine & a couple of similar incidents.

Now I think I see your point: offenses by a few white students created the crackdown and hysteria, it had nothing to do with black students. That is a good point. But your point is not mutually exclusive with the poster's point. The hysteria could be due to white shooters but some administrations could still be using the hysteria to crack down on innocent whites to 'balance out' punishments by race, given their predicament that by treating all students equally blacks would be expelled at higher rates.

[Loud Mime]

Give me a break. Isn't there anyone on that campus that has a Medic First Aid certification?

Only if it's part of the metrosexual-brokeback-Bushizevil program sponsored by the NEA

[gogeo]

Zero Tolerance alert.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Really. Where the hell was the school nurse?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

A truly horrible story.

And a perfect example of how group-think and regulation destroy the ability of the individual to act wisely and with conviction.

The students calling 911 had a better thought process than the teacher, who could only respond to the brainwashing of regulation "close the phone." A few more years in the system and the student will probably also be a phone-closer.

Unbelievable.

[ContraryMary]

I'm going to guess that the school nurse is only there part time, So if it's Tuesday, the student has to wait until he/she's back on Wednesday.

What do I win?

No, you don't win. Sorry. The nurse is full-time. In this instance they were on a field trip. One of the buses had to make a stop (That's another story) and the nurse was on the other bus. The stop ended up taking a long time and the kids missed lunch. So the hypoglycemic student had a low-blood sugar attack. Instead of giving the student something to eat -- as one of the teachers had a snack bar -- the guidance counselor called for an ambulance instead. They took the student to the hospital where the kid had something to eat.

It's no wonder our school systems are sending out morons into the world, as our educators are morons themselves.