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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that the teacher who left the child to die

149 replies

Fruitysunshine · 18/03/2010 07:55

I have pondered over this story since it broke and my heart goes out to the parents over the loss of their son, his death being so avoidable.

Am I being unreasonable in thinking that the teacher who neglected to help this young lad dying from an asthma attack should be charged with manslaughter in one form or another?

It is not a case of asking a stranger for help but more the issue that the school had a duty of care towards the lad and by refusing to assist him in an emergency after being asked by pupils, she directly contributed towards his death.

Is that unreasonable or am I getting too emotive about this?

OP posts:

LouIsOnAHighwayToHell · 18/03/2010 08:53

I do wonder though if there will be an outcry from other parents at the school. Would you want this teacher teaching your children.

I thought all schools were required to have a nurse or first aider on duty at all times?

While she did not cause his death she played a part by doing nothing. If this happened on the side of the road and he was a stranger then all that could be said is that she did not have to help if she did not want to. But considering she was his teacher then surely there is a duty of care involved.

PootleTheFlump · 18/03/2010 08:54

This charity was set up to raise awareness in schools and just yesterday held an info evening at a school in Herts. Someone dies every 7 hours from asthma . Asthma UK have masses of resources for schools and teachers here if anyone is worried about their DCs schools not being on the ball.

OrmRenewed · 18/03/2010 08:55

I think the children will give her a pretty hard time too!

overmydeadbody · 18/03/2010 08:58

I agree missedith

foxinsocks · 18/03/2010 09:10

the poor boy died, that's what's emotive.

saying she left him to die isn't unnecessarily emotive - it's factually correct. I'm sure had she known he was going to die, she would have acted in a different way but there were more than enough warning signs that this was a very serious attack. She left him and unfortunately, he died .

I am amazed that teachers don't have to have a first aid certificate.

GeekOfTheWeek · 18/03/2010 09:12

I agree with what Ivykaty said.

She is responsible and action should be taken. No excuses.

AvrilHeytch · 18/03/2010 09:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LisaD1 · 18/03/2010 09:17

Sadly, there are many more people like this teacher, who don't seem to know/care (not sure which) how bad asthma can be.

My DD suffers from asthma and during a recent attach was told by her PE teacher that she did not need her inhaler and that "you just need to breath, everybody gets out of puff during games"

I went mental when I heard this. I would want this teacher's head on a plate if I were the parents of this poor young boy. What an absolute waste of a young life, a life that could have been saved if the person paid to care for him had bothered to care enough to call for help.

Yes, I know some will say she was paid to teach but with that comes a duty of care, she cared more about her meeting than that young boy's life. She should face charges and at the very least NEVER be allowed to work with children again.

msrisotto · 18/03/2010 09:20

I find it impossible to believe that she didn't know the potential implications of an asthma attack, it's so common. She should have been fired! I can't believe she wasn't even suspended. Absolutely disgusting. She should go to prison.

bluecardi · 18/03/2010 09:24

Posted on the other thread. So shocked to read this - why isn't she facing a manslaughter charge?

MamaGoblin · 18/03/2010 09:26

She does seem to have been totally rubbish. I heard this reported on R4 yesterday. She said, in her defence, that none of the teachers had been trained in first aid specific to an asthma attack. That may well be so, and if so, it's terrible (how common is asthma, ffs?) but how much training do you need, to make a judgement call and get help if a pupil starts to have problems breathing?

I shouldn't be extrapolating on the basis of the report I heard, but it sounded to me as if she'd put him in the corridor (and stayed in her classroom) because she thought he was mucking about. And ignoring other children's worries about him ...

I don't think manslaughter is appropriate, but I honestly hope she doesn't teach again, or at least that this is investigated, she's disciplined, thoroughly retrained and monitored for a long, long time, because at the moment, it doesn't sound like she's fit to work with children.

bluecardi · 18/03/2010 09:29

It was obvious, even to kids, that the boy needed help - ignoring this means there's something wrong with her. If she's mentally fit then imho she face the law on this.

If you saw someone on a shop suffering like this & nothing was done then the shop would face charges why not a school teacher?

Litchick · 18/03/2010 09:34

I think the fact that she immediately started blaming everything and everyone else says it all.

Anyone with any decency would be mortified.

Classic, pass the buck, ooh it's my employer's fault culture.You don't need specific training just bloody common sense. Child has trouble breathing - check him out.

helyg · 18/03/2010 09:35

YANBU.

TBH this case scares the shit out of me. My 5 year old has asthma (as do I), and I don't even want to think about what could happen when teachers have this kind of attitude!

I don't know about school teachers, but I know at the nursery school that my children go/went to all of the staff have to be first aid trained, and two of them also went on a specialist asthma course a year or two ago.

When my son started school I was asked to come in and show his teacher how his inhaler worked etc, and also took them a "what to do in an emergency" card that I got from asthma uk.

I know the poor boy who died was older than my DS, but you would still expect his teachers to be aware of what to do when a child has an asthma attack. I mean, it's not as though asthma is uncommon in children...

Even without the duty of care, if I saw a stranger on the street struggling to breathe and turning blue I would call 999!

I just feel so sorry for his poor parents.

Litchick · 18/03/2010 09:36

And yes, she might have thought he was mucking about.
Best way to find out - go have a look.
If he's pissing you about, punishment. If not, noting lost.

mrsflowerpot · 18/03/2010 09:36

This has terrified me - my dd is home today with another cold that has brought on her asthma, and I know that it will stay with her throughout her school career.

I don't think this woman should teach again. I am sure she is devastated, but she can't possibly be as devastated as the parents, and a child died because of her negligence.

MamaGoblin · 18/03/2010 09:36

Actually, I've just read that first link, and I didn't realise it was a matter of hours that poor boy was struggling in the corridor.

Never mind the original teacher - why on earth, in that space of time, did another teacher not walk past him and wonder what was going on?? And why on earth were none of the teachers made aware of the ten minute policy on asthma attacks?

Whole school sounds as if it's in serious trouble, TBH. She was crap, but seems like she wasn't the only one. And I bet she is now subjected to a disciplinary hearing now, because of public outrage. Not the way I like to see things being done, but in this instance...

AvrilHeytch · 18/03/2010 09:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Adair · 18/03/2010 09:39

Litchick, I agree.

expatinscotland · 18/03/2010 09:52

Why are people this thick and lacking in common sense unleashed on children?

I mean,duh!

I had no experience of asthma at all, but had a flatmate once who had it.

She used to take steroid drugs for it, and had her own nebuliser.

One night she had an attack and was using her nebuliser but still struggling to breathe and couldn't speak.

Hnmmm, a person isn't breathing well on her own, what to do a) blow them off b) ring 999.

Is it that hard?

skinsl · 18/03/2010 09:52

this is horrendous.
Even someone with a mild asthma attack can be quite frightening.
I am horrified. The poor family, the poor brother.

I usually take all the comments from news reports with a pinch of salt, cos you never know the real story. But there is no excuse for this. If it was my child, I would be taking action, against the school and the teachers involved.

MamaGoblin · 18/03/2010 09:52

Just had a look at the BBC news page to see if they had any concrete details about what she said. They don't, really, but they do provide links to the High School involved. Apparently, that teacher is Subject Leader for Citizenship.

wickeddevil · 18/03/2010 09:57

Oh dear how sad. The poor boys parents.

The most incredible comment in the report is the suggestion that "Teachers were unaware of the schools policy to call an ambulance after 10 minutes"

for heaven's sake. Teachers are supposed to be bright - you shouldn't need a policy for such incidents just common sense.

Fewer policies and more action needed methinks.

Sadly the inevitable reaction to such a situation is likely to be yet more policies.

BigMomma3 · 18/03/2010 09:57

Can't believe it took over 2 years for this to be made public. I would be very interested to know whether that teacher is still at that school and if not what she's doing now. Even without an inquest, it was obvious she had massively fucked up .

Surely she should be prosecuted for 'allowing the death of a child', manslaughter would be too much.

BigMomma3 · 18/03/2010 09:58

MamaGoblin - you have answered my question. She is still at the school . Can't imagine how the parents feel about that.

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