Students were released from school at about
2:30 p.m. after receiving word of the boy's death. Counseling was
provided for those who needed it.
Franklin-McKinley School District
Superintendent Larry Aceves said both students and teachers were
traumatized from the popular student's death. The student is not being
identified because officials are still trying to locate his parents to
notify them of the tragedy.
"Everyone is just in shock," Aceves said.
"Especially the adults who were present and tried to help any way they
could."
Aceves, who was meeting with Fair Middle
School Principal Beverly Hill on campus when the incident occurred, said
the staff reacted very well by pulling students back into classrooms as
paramedics arrived. He said Hill was not talking to the press because
she was too distraught.
The superintendent wasn't exactly sure
what the group of about four to five boys was trying to do before the
accident occurred, but seventh grader Jesus, said he and his friends
often play with the heavy goalpost.
Jesus, 12, who was out sick from school,
was waiting outside of campus for his friends to tell him who the victim
was and what happened. He described the practice of moving the goalpost
as "throwing it" to get it upright and said he thought the goalpost fell
because the victim tried to throw it himself.
According to Jesus, a similar incident
happened recently to another student. The goalpost fell back on him
after he had pushed it in the air, but his backpack saved him from
injury.
Teachers quickly responded by calling 911
and lifting the post off the boy. He was transported to San Jose Medical
Center where he died from major head injuries.
According to Aceves, about 400 to 500
students were out at lunch recess at about 11:30 a.m. when the incident
happened. Fair Middle School is home to about 850 students who are
broken into two groups for separate lunch periods.
"Those who were there are obviously at a
much different level (psychologically) than those who weren't," he said.
East Side Union High School District
Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas immediately responded by sending
over additional counselors. Tomorrow, representatives from the Center
for Living with Dying will be on campus.
This afternoon, counselors went from
classroom to classroom to explain the situation to students.
Teachers are also being handled
individually.
"We're trying to deal with (teachers) one
at a time because it's a one at a time kind of situation," Aceves said.
According to Capt. Allison Cabral with
the San Jose Fire Department, the school is handling a difficult
situation in the best possible way.
"A tragic event like this has a ripple
effect," she said. "They are doing an excellent job counseling teachers,
talking to support staff. These are the best grief counselors."
The next steps for the district, Aceves
said, will be to look into why the accident happened and see what steps
should be taken to prevent it from happening again. Some options would
be to cement down the goalposts, replace them with lightweight aluminum
ones, or get rid of them altogether.
"Anytime there's an accident, we review
our procedures," he said.
For now, school is out after a very
different day for the students. Aceves said it was picture day, so many
students were wearing their good clothes and the schedule was a little
different.
According to SafeUSA.org, goalposts have
been responsible for at least 22 deaths in the last 20 years and
emergency rooms treat about 90 goalpost-related injuries each year. Most
of the deaths are caused by hitting one's head or being crushed by a
falling goalpost.
Copyright 2004 by Bay City News,
Inc. Republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written
consent of Bay City News, Inc. Is prohibited.
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