Death of child who had asthma attack at school

[MillyR]

I don't understand how this can have happened. I was wondering if people in general are not aware that if someone cannot speak normally due to asthma they need to go to A and E straight away? This child's lips had gone blue, but still no ambulance was called. It must have been very distressing for the boy who tried to help him as well.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1258705/Boy-11-dies-asthma-attack-left-die-school-corridor.html

shocking isn't it? i wonder if the teacher will be disciplined?
poor, poor boy

it beggars belief that the teacher did not recognise such an urgent medical problem.

scares me witless tbh - ive a child with asthma and a child with severe peanut allergy.

think im gonna check my DD's schools procedures.

god poor child

I also have asthmatic child with allergies -this scares me.

A child in DD's class had a peanut allergy (he doesn't anymore). They had the emergency medication for him in a high up cupboard, and a huge photo of him on the outside of the cupboard, with his name and his allergy and treatment printed underneath it. I thought that was very sensible because it minimised the chances of a supply teacher being in and forgetting or not being aware. It also meant that the other reception children were aware and would be able to point it out in an emergency.

Terrifying. My DS has asthma and I havew gfivwn qwritten instructions about symptoms etc but i do sometimes get the feeling the teachers think i'm over-reacting. Asthma is so commonplace i think people who don't have any experience of it forget how dangerous it can be.

sorry given written instructions!

Thats terrible. I cant believe the school did not see how bad his condition was! I am shocked

I feel livid towards that teacher.

My DS has just been recently diagnosed with asthma and he has multiple allergies. This story has totally freaked me out. What was the stupid stupid teacher thinking? That poor boy and his family.

me too. i mean they said that he probably would have lived if they had treated him straight away.

so that teacher is directly responsible for his death.

oohhh poor poor boy. he must have been terrified.

sadly, people do forget, asthma kills.

This is such an apalling story - OK procedures might be a bit rusty but this was heartless negligence - what WAS that teacher thinking?? Poor child, poor parents and poor fellow-pupils who had the basic wit to see that he was in serious trouble when the adult who had a duty of care and the power to help him, for some bizarre reason, chose not to. I wonder what the meeting was about that wasn't worth interrupting. She too looked a haunted woman on the news today. I wouldn't want to be that teacher or that mother.

Christ.

Just showed this to DH who has asthma, but is always forgetting to order new puffers.

It is so easily treatable people forget it's fucking deadly.

Blimey - how tragic

I'm not sure I'm completely clear on the story. Ok - the teacher was obviously not going to help him for whatever reason but at 3.00pm there must have been other adults in the school who either would have seen him or who the students could have gone to for help because they realised that it was an emergency. He was in the corridor for two hours and no other adult was aware? It seems bizarre. I can't believe this teacher was the only adult in the building.

Disciplined? That teacher should clearly be sacked. Gross negligence and utter incompetence.

I have an asthmatic daughter and am quite alarmed by that report. It's made me quite resolute about ensuring that she's protected at all times.

There are loads of people who actually dont realise that you can die from Asthma.I lost my sister who was 26 to this awful disease and i cant tell you how many people said they didnt know people can die of it.It is a truly awful thing and i feel so sorry for that family and of course the poor boy.It would of been terrible for him.I hope that anyone who works in schools has to attend a course or something so they know exactly what to do in a severe case like this obviously was.

You are right, it is dreadful and the teacher was at fault. Yes, the other boy could have got another adult, but it wasn't his responsibility.
Most primary schools have extremely good systems for managing asthma, specific policies, staff training that is regularly updated, medical box in classroom (epipens in office) photos in the staffroom of children with medical needs and action to be taken, open access for the children to their medication at any time. A buddy system for those at particular risk.
Obviously, this secondary school was at fault if they had no clear procedures for all to follow, and a child is dead as a consequence.
I wonder if he had his blue inhaler with him, and had used it? If he knew what to do in an emergency, especially as it was only his first term at secondary?
So, check if you have a child with specific needs, so that you and they know what to do in an emergency before it happens. Make sure the school know what you expect too.

Unbelievable - poor little soul.
The teacher sounds like she either had no idea about asthma (????!!!!???) or she juts didn't give a shit. Either way she shouldn't be teaching.

Posted this in AIBU, but the links may be useful here:

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 sad. Asthma UK have masses of resources for schools and teachers here if anyone is worried about their DCs schools not being on the ball.

Why isn't she being charged with manslaughter?

How terrible for his family

My ds2's asthma protocol is pinned on several
noticeboards in his primary school, as I've discovered though it doesn't mean that the teachers necessarily read it or follow it.

He's currently off school with a mild attack after he coughed all the way through yesterday without anyone giving him his reliever. Their response when I questioned it was to completely contradict each other. Not amused.

I've been in floods of tears after reading this. It brought back terrible memories of something that happened to DS shortly after starting school. He became short of breath at lunchtime and asked the dinner lady for his inhalar but she told him that she couldn't find it (she didn't bother to ask the class teacher or any of the 3 teaching assistants who also work in the class). When he returned to class after lunch none of the staff noticed how much he was struggling for breath and he didn't ask for the inhalar again as he believed that it was missing. By the time he was collected at 3.15 he was not in a good way. Luckily DH's family are all in the medical profession and as a result we managed to get DS on steroids and a nebulizer straight away and prevent him from deteriorating. The lunchtime staff at school denied all knowledge of him asking for his inhalar and the teacher informed us that it was oh a high shelf in the cupboard where it always is (I'm sure it would be much better to keep it where ds can access it himself when needed!!!). Dh and I made a complaint to the head and have told ds that if he asks for it again and is ignored then he must ask a different grown up and keep on asking until somebody helps him.

Oooops, try again:

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.