Posted on 03/10/2006 8:43:53 PM PST by 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.
This sounds like BS. If I was a witness to the choking the teacher who tried to close my phone would have to learn how to write tests with their left hand.
A friend of mine said that when she was in third grade, she was assigned an arithmetic book that had been bound incorrectly - the cover was on upside down. She turned the book to read the text right side up, and the teacher strode over, wrested it from her hands and turned it the other way - twice - during the class. At that age, she was too cowed by an authority figure to defend herself.
Your point is well taken, but the article says that many 911 calls did in fact go out anyway.
But yes, as I've said countless times on here, common sense has left the building in our society.
MM
(Yikes)
Re: Kitty Genovese, a minor detail not clear from the other poster, the people who witnessed this crime were in their homes, they were not standing right at the scene. Of course someone could have, and should have, called the police. But none were in the position to actively intervene.
Poor Ms. Genovese, she's probably one of NYC's most famous murder victims.
Sorry. Not written in the teachers contracts.
If you have asked to be added to this list, and haven’t been receiving the pings, please let me know. I’ve had a problem with my file synchronization between my home and work computer, and apparently have lost some names on the list. I think I have the problem fixed, and will gladly re-add your name.
At my daughter's high school a guidance counselor prevented a teacher from giving food to a student who was having a hypoglycemic attack because school policy provides that only the school nurse can treat an ill student. Our schools are filled with bureaucrats who are unable to think for themselves.
That's assuming there is a preponderance of right minded teachers.
I do believe mistakes were made (because this teen died), but let's get some solid facts before we devolve to mob mentality.
And I'm pretty sure no teacher in their right mind would confiscate a one inch long plastic toy gun.
I'm pretty sure no teacher in their right mind would have sex with their students.
What's your point?
And no one used Heimlich?
##############
In my health clinic it is law that every staff member be CPR certified every two years. I pay for it for the entire staff. We regularly have emergency drills and all emergency equipment is checked monthly.
Thankfully, in 27 years of practice we have never had a life threatening emergency.
I would think that teachers should be held to the same standard.
If he made it to the hospital alive I don't see how choking could have been the primary cause of death.
The real question is how on earth no one among the teachers and students knew how to do the Heimlich....
$$$$$$$$$$$$
When my kids were with us, we had family night every week. One week we covered the Heimlich.
That week my 8 year old choked on an orange seed. His 6 year old sister saved his life.
Terrible. Stupid. Didn't have to end this way.
And miss the fun of throwing gratuitous insults at teachers and public schools? ;-)
'rush to judgment'??? -- you might call it 'making preliminary decisions based on data presented.' It was not, after all, a trial. Just a chat forum.
Actually, at least in my state and district, teachers aren't required to be CPR or first aid certified, although it wouldn't be a bad idea.
As someone on the thread has already pointed out, CPR does no good until the airway is cleared.
I did think most people in the U.S. knew the Heimlich maneuver, however.
Amazing all the teacher bashing and they are relying on an "anonymous" source.
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