School employee honored for performing Heimlich maneuver on choking student

The DeSoto County School Board honored Nancy Boyle with a life‑saving action award after staff said she performed the Heimlich maneuver on a student who was choking.
During superintendent reports the presenter described Boyle’s action as heroic and said the district wanted to recognize her for providing aid when others might not. "She did the Heimlich maneuver on a young person that was choking, and not everybody could have done that," the presenter said.
Board members and administrators praised Boyle and noted that training on allergic‑reaction responses and anaphylaxis for school staff is ongoing. The presenter said the intervention and staff training reflect safety efforts across district schools.
Why it matters: immediate staff action likely prevented harm to a student, the board said, and the district used the recognition to highlight staff preparedness and emergency response training.
The meeting did not include written incident details or a medical‑outcome update; the award presentation was the board’s formal acknowledgment of Boyle’s action.