ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The family of a 15-year-old College Park Middle School student who died on Monday held a news conference on Wednesday, demanding answers from the school district.
According to attorney Greg Francis who is representing the family, Jasiel Sanders died on a school bus.
Francis said that according to Sanders’ sister, he began having trouble breathing after boarding the bus, and he soon lost consciousness.
As a result, the sister told the bus driver what was going on, and the driver allegedly asked “if he was faking or is he for real,” the attorney added.
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“Jasiel’s sister then screamed for the driver to pull the bus over. She called her mother, who told her to call 911, which she did,” the attorney wrote. “According to Jasiel’s sister, the bus driver continued driving for another mile or so before eventually pulling over and calling 911.”
In a release from Francis’ law firm, he explained that Sanders was taken to the hospital and ultimately pronounced dead, though no cause of death has yet been released.
“According to Jasiel’s mother, the bus driver allegedly drove past a medical facility during the incident,” the release reads. “The family is outraged that the bus driver didn’t pull into the facility to get immediate help for Jasiel.”
“We would like to make sure that the protocol includes response to emergency medical conditions such as what occurred on Monday of this week,” said Francis during Wednesday’s press conference. “Minutes even seconds count anytime there is an emergency situation where measures could have been taken to give Jasiel a better chance to live.”
District officials provided the following statement to News 6 regarding Sanders’ death:
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they deal with the loss of their child. In response to your inquiry, we have confirmed from the Orlando Police Department that this incident was deemed a medical event and is not under investigation by law enforcement at this time. This incident is under internal review by the district’s Office of Professional Standards. Preliminary findings indicate the driver pulled the vehicle over in response to a separate incident occurring in the rear of the bus. The driver then noticed a student in distress and immediately contacted dispatch to call 911 which is standard operating procedure. Our preliminary review of the incident that occurred on Monday does not reflect the allegations that have been made. This case is still under review, and we will not argue the facts in the public space.
Orange County Public Schools spokesman
According to the family, they are awaiting the results of an autopsy on the cause of death.
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