Forced To Stay In School Despite Being Sick, Girl Dies The Next Day

A student of class 7 at a private CBSE school in Faridabad passed away on Thursday morning, a day after she vomited in class and on the bus while returning home. The girl’s parents accused the school authorities of being negligent, as they had failed to inform the parents about their daughter’s health condition even after the girl had informed the class teacher that she wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday morning.

The girl, identified as Aradhya Khandelwal, was forced to attend the class until she completed her math test, and only then was she allowed to go to the infirmary.

School Girl Dies In Faridabad

A mother of the deceased girl’s classmate said that the girl was her daughter’s best friend. She claimed that the girl had asked her class teacher to go to the washroom because she felt nauseous. However, the teacher made her sit throughout the test despite the girl feeling sick. The girl had been feeling unwell and sweating.

The mother added that, according to her daughter, the girl couldn’t even walk and appeared to be drowsy. She couldn’t even keep her eyes open. She questioned the school about why they failed to inform the girl’s parents immediately about her health condition. The mother pointed out that that should have been the first thing they should have done as soon as the class teacher was informed of the girl’s condition. While they did send her to the sick room later, they ignored her symptoms for hours.

The students in class 7 had to stay in school until the day was over by 1.30 p.m. The girl had boarded the school bus and vomited again on the bus. The bus driver had scolded her for dirtying the seats.

The girl’s father, Abhilash Khandelwal, stated that she had asked for lemon water on returning home. The girl vomited again an hour later, around 3.30. That’s when they realised, she was unwell but thought it was the first time she vomited. He claimed that the family had no idea she had been sick at school.

Later, the parents informed her paediatrician, who prescribed medicines and ORS. The girl had told her parents that she had repeatedly been going to the washroom but hadn’t revealed anything about going to the infirmary. In the evening, the girl told me that she was feeling better and went off to sleep.

On Thursday morning, she started vomiting again, after which her parents took her to the nearby hospital. The doctor checked her ECG, found no pulse, and declared her dead.

The parents said that if the school had informed them earlier about their daughter’s health condition, they would have given her timely treatment. They claimed that they had no idea that she had been ill in class on Wednesday, as she had been fine when she left for school in the morning.

According to the Times Of India, the school principal said that they would comply with all the legal formalities and cooperate with the investigation. The principal also assured that an internal committee would be formed to inquire into the issue.

The paediatrician who had prescribed medication on Wednesday evening said that he gave instructions only based on the information the girl’s parents had told him over the phone. He claimed that all her symptoms pointed to dehydration.

The girl’s parents refused to get an autopsy done. They hadn’t lodged a police complaint until Sunday evening. However, they took to Twitter to list out the allegations against the school authorities.

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