A 13-year-old boy with severe autism passed away in a hospital following two days after he was restrained by staff at special needs school.
Allegedly, the staff used the notorious prone restraint method after the boy became violent and uncontrollable.
During the restraint that took place at Guiding Hands School in El Dorado Hills, however, the 13-year-old became unresponsive.
According to the El Dorado Sheriff’s office, one of the teachers began CPR while they were waiting for the help to arrive.
After the incident, the boy, who was already in critical condition by that time, was admitted to Folsom’s Mercy Hospital. From there, he was transferred to Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center where he died two days later.
In the police statement, authorities revealed that the 13-year-old “became violent and needed to be restrained by school staff, to prevent the injury of staff and students,” adding that he measured 6ft in height and weighed over 280 pounds.
While the police refused to comment on the details of the incident, the California Department of Education revealed that the school has been suspended after the student’s death.
The teacher who allegedly held the student in a face-down position for more than one hour is also under investigation according to Sacramento Bee. While prone restraint is legal in California, this technique is banned from schools in several other states due to its dangers.
Following the incident, the special needs school released the following statement:
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the very difficult news that a beloved member of our school community has passed away. Out of respect for the family, and the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share full details at this time.
“Unfortunately, on November 28, 2018, there was an incident on campus involving a student in which staff needed to utilize a nationally recognized behavior management protocol to address the situation. After the incident, an emergency ensued and staff immediately alerted paramedics.
We have since been informed, the student has passed away.
“The appropriate authorities were promptly notified and we continue to cooperate with their inquiries.
“We are devastated by this loss and remain committed to the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff.”
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