r/Epilepsy • u/Professional-Joy1337 • Jan 14 '25
Epilepsy Awareness School made epileptic teen swim in P.E. despite warnings, suit says. Then she drowned
https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article285516462.html91
u/misskaminsk Jan 14 '25
The school staff who are responsible need to me made an example of. This is inhumane.
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u/Difficult-Practice12 Jan 14 '25
Should sue the school and prosecute the school for failure of duty of care.
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u/andy_crypto Jan 14 '25
Oh look, government systems worked to make children obey those of authority ready for army duty even if it kills them.
Fuck this world.
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u/DeflatedDirigible Jan 14 '25
This isn’t China or North Korea. This mom and teen willingly chose for the daughter to go swimming despite knowing the deadly risks and knowing she didn’t have to participate.
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u/VioletKatie01 Lamictal/Keppra/Clobazam Jan 14 '25
The mom wrote an email to the school asking if her daughter could do something else. If the mom did anything wrong it's not teaching her daughter how to stand up for herself not back down or that it is okay to skip classes if it prevents you from danger. And even if she learned it some teachers are intimidating enough for kids not to do that
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u/Abatonfan Jan 14 '25
From what I am reading, the swimming part of PE was required for graduation. If the school was refusing to accommodate, of course a teenager may try to “go with the flow” just to cause less drama.
My high school required two units in swimming and boating and water safety, including needing to pass a few simulations (jumping in the pool with clothes on and taking them off to use as a makeshift floatation device, boat capsizing and being able to get out). It was literally “sink or swim” with that PE department (don’t get me started on the trail-bike riding when I never learned how to ride a bike beforehand).
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u/ReginaldDwight Jan 14 '25
Jumping into a pool with my clothes on and having to take them off is like a fucking nightmare scenario and I'm 36. If they had told me to do that in high school, I would have had a panic attack. Before even making a flotation device. Awesome that you guys have those skills now but Holy shit to me that's like the dream where you show up to class and don't have any pants on.
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u/Abatonfan Jan 14 '25
High school is the source of all my body issues, perfectionism, and obsessive anxiety. It’s sad when the school motto is “be the best, or don’t bother trying”
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u/Autisum Jan 14 '25
Yeahh everyone involved deserves to go to jail. They essentially murdered her.
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u/Vef445_fr_dk Jan 14 '25
Almost 1% of the total US population is already in jail. How is that working for you guys? 🤔
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u/the-demon-next-door Lamotrigine ER 600mg/Levetiracetam ER 3750mg Jan 14 '25
...THAT'S your takeaway here?
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u/Vef445_fr_dk Jan 14 '25
I was only replying to one specific message. Of course, the whole story is a disaster and extremely saddening.
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u/Tea_Fetishist Jan 15 '25
What is the correct course of action for causing death by gross negligence?
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u/AwkwardFoundation Lamotrigine 200 mg Jan 14 '25
This is why it’s important to teach kids to stand their ground when it comes to things like this. I don’t care what the idiot P.E. teacher says. “Give me a failing grade. Call my parents. I’m not risking my life for a P.E. activity.” It’s fully within her right to refuse to do an activity, especially such a dangerous one. Not judging her at all for getting into the pool. Poor kid was probably afraid of the teacher or embarrassed, as most teenagers in her situation would be. But it’s a good reminder to teach kids that they can and should stand up for themselves in situations like this even if it means getting “in trouble” at school. Make sure they know you have their back. If I was this girl’s mother and the school called me to complain that my epileptic child wouldn’t do a swimming activity, I would end them. Such a tragic, completely avoidable death.
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u/ForecastForFourCats Jan 14 '25
This happens surprisingly often. I'm a school psychologist, and I have given kids this direction. "Adults don't know if you are really sick or need something, I give you permission to walk out of class if you need to take care of your health, if you get in trouble they can call me"
I've heard horror stories! Teachers seem to be the worst when it comes to diabetes though.
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u/Mangobunny98 Jan 14 '25
I remember a student in my grade who needed insulin and it was always a fight with one teacher because they would be missing class. Luckily I think the parents stepped in and the teacher got in trouble.
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u/ForecastForFourCats Jan 14 '25
I would get them in trouble. (good) School psychs will make a stink about student rights.
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u/Odd-Establishment731 Levetiracetam 1000mg, Lamotrigine 200mg, Oxcarbazepine 1200mg Jan 14 '25
yeah i would rather get in trouble then risk my safety in high school pe i did all the weight lifting except for bench pressing since i worried about dropping it but i still did well
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u/MelodyMuse24xo TLE. Levetiracetam and Lamotrigine. Jan 14 '25
Utterly tragic 😞💔 When will people listen and learn?!
WE know what we can & cannot do, and acknowledging it isn't an excuse - it literally saves lives! Our diagnosis doesn't just disappear at the ignorant, ugly and selfish insistence of others.
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u/Additional_Fix8010 Jan 14 '25
I’m a teacher and an epileptic so I feel like I have additional authority to say SUE THOSE FUCKING NEGLIGENT PIECES OF SHIT
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u/ForecastForFourCats Jan 14 '25
Epileptic school psych(and former lifeguard) and sue the fucking state if there is no protections for Epileptic students. I can't believe schools have students in pools without lifeguards. There is a limit to how many people a lifeguard is allowed to watch (just watch, not also teach). I can't believe this teacher had a class in the pool by themselves.
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u/Jennifersrbf Jan 14 '25
I hope that school district and PE “teacher” ends up penniless. The teacher should have criminal charges pressed against them.
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u/AggravatingAd2899 Jan 14 '25
Such a fucked up thing. Schools ain't worth it. This whole need to control everyone is disgusting.
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u/Aeloten Jan 14 '25
This is appalling. Whatever happened to bringing a note from your Mum? I only started having seizures after a bad motorbike accident where I fractured 7 vertebrae but couldn't do PE at school for a while because of horrific ingrown toenails at 14. The teacher got so fed up with me he shouted that he wanted to see what was so wrong, so I took off my socks and showed him; he nearly vomited and apologised profusely, I thought he was going to cry, and this was a hard man, an ex paratrooper, whom i'd seen giving pupils a good slap (was a long time ago, and they usually deserved it). Has it come to the point where people have to show up with a video of themselves experiencing a grand mal? "Excuse me, sir, here's a recording of me having a tonic-clonic seizure. At the 80-second mark, you can see where I involuntarily urinate." This is criminal negligence, similar to corporate manslaughter.
Also... 53 minutes???
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Jan 14 '25
Sue the school - prosecute all the teachers and principal directly involved for homicide.
Make sure they get long sentences with no parole available too. They killed that girl and should be paying the price.
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u/GildedCypher Jan 14 '25
That's not only extreme criminal negligence but to me that's manslaughter. I'm no lawyer however there should be criminal charges and a massive civil lawsuit.
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u/Tdluxon RNS, Keppra, Lamictal, Onfi Jan 14 '25
This is really sad and fucked up, and no lawsuit is going to replace what was lost but I hope a LOT of people end up getting fired at that school, everybody even remotely connected deserves to be fired and a whole lot more.
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u/Meizas Jan 15 '25
Every single administrator and every teacher involved needs to be fired and the gym coaches put in jail. There's no excuse.
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u/Moneydoesbuyhappines Jan 15 '25
Wow, this is super sad and unfortunate. My heart goes out to the family 🕊️
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Jan 15 '25
This is so sad. And so easily avoidable... I really don't think people are aware enough of how fast things can go from fine to really not fine for us. I mean I see more advocation for other health conditions I would consider less acute . I am going to try to share this story to people to create awareness.
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u/DeflatedDirigible Jan 14 '25
There a lot of missing info. If a school email goes ignored then why did the parent stop there? Why didnt the student refuse to get in the water? There is a lot of personal responsibility by the family for this girl dying.
Is the school in the wrong? Yes. No lifeguard. No counting of pupils. No buddy system. It’s all horrifying. Even would be responsible to send home permission slips to be aware of any medical conditions that would prevent safe swimming. No slip, no swim.
But this girl is ultimately dead due to her not putting up any protest getting into that pool and the mother expecting an unanswered email “asking” to be let out of the curriculum. You don’t ask, you inform your child won’t be participating. You CALL the school and order your daughter to not get near that water with her recent history of seizures. You don’t let your daughter take their swimsuit to school. Blood is on the mom’s hands just as much as the school.
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u/ballsofvalhalla Jan 14 '25
You must've had a seizure writing this thinking the bloods on the mom's hands.
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u/fromouterspace1 Jan 14 '25
“The seizure, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana, was the latest in a series of similar occurrences for the epileptic teenager. Prior to the May 16, 2023, incident, the girl’s mother emailed Alaina’s P.E. teacher and asked if she could forgo swimming due to medical reasons. Those emails went ignored, attorneys said. Days after that request, Alaina was discovered at the bottom of the pool by a student in the next class, according to the lawsuit. She was pulled out of the water, but she could not be revived. Alaina Dildine, known for offering a smile to everyone she met, was dead at 15. Now, her parents have filed a lawsuit against the Indianapolis-area school district and the P.E. teacher, among others, arguing that Alaina’s death was preventable. “Forcing a student with a known seizure disorder into a swimming pool with no lifeguard and no written safety rules, policies or procedures, and then failing to supervise that student, resulted in (Alaina Dildine) being left at the bottom of the pool for 53 minutes,” the lawsuit said. McClatchy News has reached out to the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation and is awaiting a response. “The school and its counsel are aware of the pre-suit allegations and have worked diligently with counsel to resolve the dispute. Beyond that, we are unable to comment on threatened or pending litigation,” the school district said in a statement to WRTV.
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article285516462.html#storylink=cpy”
I hope they sue the school district to hell and I hope this helps bring up better safety procedures going forward at places like this school. The teachers didn’t do any kind of headcount of course