TAUNTON — Superintendent John Cabral reports that Taunton Public Schools has commissioned an independent administrative review into the facts and circumstances surrounding an incident last week where a student was injured on a school playground.
The investigation, by a third party with significant experience in conducting such reviews, will determine what, if any, rule violations or performance failures by Taunton Public Schools staff occurred and recommend any action items that may be necessary moving forward.
The administrative review will investigate an incident that occurred on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the Elizabeth Pole Elementary School involving a group of students at recess where a student’s neck was injured by a jump rope.
An initial review of the incident has determined that there were issues with reporting and communication, including that the injured student’s parents were not notified of what happened by school staff. As part of this holistic finding of fact, the school’s reporting of the incident and subsequent communication will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether the district’s policies and procedures were properly followed.
“This is a deeply troubling incident that I am committed to having further investigated by a third-party, so we can provide further information and clarity to the injured student’s family and our greater school community,” Superintendent Cabral said. “I share the concerns of our community members and I would like to assure our school community that I intend to make the necessary decisions at the conclusion of this investigation to ensure all procedures all strictly followed for the benefit and safety of all our Taunton students.”
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