Report Released on Tragic Drowning of 12-year Old Public School Student
The New York City Special Commissioner of Investigation has released its report into the drowning of a 12-year old New York City public school student. Nicole Suriel was on a field trip to Long Beach, New York with her 6th grade class from the new Columbia Secondary School. Nicole entered the water and was apparently caught in a rip tide. She was found an hour and a half after she was reported missing.
This is an absolute tragedy, one compounded by the fact that it should never have occurred. The drowning occurred while no lifeguards were on duty. The lifeguards were off duty at the time of the trip and were scheduled to start working weekdays after the Memorial Day weekend. "No Swimming" signs were posted along the beach when the students arrived, advising that lifeguards were not on duty. The 24 children were accompanied to the beach by only three chaperones, an inadequate number given the location of the field trip, and that at least one could not swim.
The report (pdf) found that the teacher in charge, 26-year old Erin Bailey, exhibited "poor judgment" in allowing the students to swim without lifeguards on duty and that the school failed to provide enough chaperones for the trip. What surprised me is that the investigation revealed that the parents signed a "Universal" permission slip at the beginning of the year, but never one for this particular trip. The Universal permission slip allowed the school to take the children only short distances from school, unlike the trip to Long Beach, which involved a subway ride and a trip on the Long Island Rail Road. Parents were unable to make the choice as to whether they wanted their child to go on such a field trip. Given the fact that Nicole couldn't swim, I would be hesitant to allow my child to go on a field trip to the beach. I am sure if the trip was discussed thoroughly with the parents, concern would be voiced over the lack of adult supervision for 24 students. Instead, the field trip went ahead and the improper planning and lack of supervision caused the tragic death of a 12-year old girl.
As parents, we need to protect our children as they are too young to protect themselves. We need to be involved and make sure what they are doing in school each day, and to say "no" if the situation makes us uncomfortable. Hurt feelings will heal, this tragedy never will. As a parent, my prayers go out to her family as they try to recover from their loss.
