Philadelphia schools, broadly defined, opened today. The School District of Philadelphia told parents to “plan ahead for back to school.”
If the School District had planned ahead last year, perhaps 12-year-old Laporshia Massey would be alive. A sixth grade student at Bryant Elementary, Laporshia died three weeks into the school year after suffering an asthma attack at her school where there was no nurse on the premises.
More than 30 percent of children between the ages of 5 to 12 in West Philly have been diagnosed with asthma. So it was reasonable to expect a child would suffer an asthma attack or otherwise get sick while at school. Yet there was no plan to deal with medical emergencies.
Laporshia’s family is suing the school district. So they may get justice for Laporshia.
But today, tens of thousands are children are in buildings with no school nurse on duty. Where is the plan to prevent another child from dying?
