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Parent alleges staff failed to call 911 after student seizure at Bush Middle School
Summary
A parent told the board a child suffered seizures and a traumatic brain injury on the first day of school and alleged staff did not call 911 or follow OSPI guidance; the parent requested a review of emergency procedures, mandatory staff training, and accountability.
A Tumwater parent told the school board on Jan. 23 that her son experienced seizures and a subsequent traumatic brain injury on the first day of school and alleged school staff failed to call 911 or follow state guidance.
In public comment, the parent (identified in the meeting transcript as Selena) described her son’s first-day medical emergency, saying he had “been experiencing absence seizures for over an hour” before he fell from a stool, hit his head and later went into a grand mal seizure. Selena said staff described the student’s breathing as “shattered,” which she clarified as “not breathing,” and that 911 was not called. She said the student later was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
Why it matters: The parent said the student’s emergency action plan and individualized education program were not shared with or reviewed by staff who were responsible for him, and she characterized the response as a failure of emergency procedures that “could have cost him his life.” The parent requested a district review of medical emergency procedures, mandatory staff training, improved communication of teacher assignments before the first day of school, and accountability for staff actions.
What the parent asked the board to do Selena asked the board to: - Improve notification and timing of teacher assignments so families can communicate plans before the first day of school; - Review and strengthen medical emergency procedures and confirm staff readiness at the start of each school year; - Require mandatory staff training on reviewing students’ medical profiles and emergency‑response steps; and - Hold staff accountable, up to termination, if negligence is confirmed.
Attribution and limits The account delivered at public comment is an allegation as recounted by the parent in the meeting. The district did not make a statement at the board meeting in response to the parent’s comments; the transcript does not include a district investigation outcome or confirmation of the timeline beyond the public comment. The parent cited OSPI guidance on head injuries and seizure response as part of her request that emergency response steps be followed.
Next steps noted in the meeting The parent asked specifically for the district’s partnership and for action to ensure other students do not experience the same outcome; the board took public comment but did not announce an investigative outcome at the meeting. The parent concluded by requesting the district investigate and implement the changes she described.
Context Board members and staff did not discuss a specific personnel action during the meeting in response to this comment. District policies and state guidelines govern emergency medical response and the sharing of individualized medical plans; the parent cited OSPI guidance for head injuries and seizure response during her remarks.
