Jasmine Jones, a mother from Houston County, is speaking out following her son’s life-threatening injury at Morningside Elementary during recess.
By sharing the story, the family hopes to increase awareness of the value of close supervision during recess in order to avoid similar injuries.
Jones said that at approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 14, she got a call alerting her to her son Jagger’s injury sustained on the playground.
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According to Jones, Jagger’s left eye was injured when a tree branch near the playground was pushed back by another student and then released, flying forward and hitting the eye. Jagger almost completely lost vision in that eye as a result of the incident.
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking. I can tell him to get something right in front of him, and he’s not seeing it. He’s looking everywhere and he’s not seeing it anymore,” Jones told 13WMAZ.
Although Jones said the damage was unintentional, he was disappointed to learn from Jagger that the teachers were not keeping an eye on the kids during playtime.
Jagger’s adoptive grandmother Linda Lee claimed that she asked the principal about the school’s playground monitoring policy but never heard back.
“There were 60 children out there, and all the teachers were seated. I don’t consider that watching the children,” Lee said.
The family contemplated legal action but did not pursue it. When they brought the incident to the attention of the school district, they received a statement that invoked sovereign immunity, which is a legal defense that frequently protects government organizations from legal action.
The Houston County School District released the following statement, “The safety of our students is always our number one priority, and our hearts go out to this student and family. Teachers actively supervise their students during recess; however, as with any active play environment, accidents can still occur despite appropriate supervision. We remain committed to maintaining safe play areas and providing vigilant supervision to support the well-being of all students.”
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