Libertas School of Memphis, located in Frayser, has named the child who died after collapsing on the playground last Monday. According to WMC, the 8-year-old was recognized as Chloe Williams.
On February 17, she collapsed unexpectedly and died. The school’s director, Bob Nardo, previously informed FOX13 that the girl was playing with her classmates on the school’s playground when she suffered a medical emergency.
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Several staff members hurried to the girl’s rescue, according to school officials, and paramedics took her to a nearby hospital.
Unfortunately, she did not survive.
Although the exact cause of Chloe’s death is unknown, Nardo stated that it appeared to be due to internal medical issues.
“I hope we can join in prayer and support the family,” Nardo told Gray News.
According to a GoFundMe statement, Williams’ mother, Brianna, said of her, “Chloe Gabrielle Williams was a ray of sunshine everywhere she went. She was fascinated with the moon, stars and weather. She was the spokesperson for her sisters and made sure that everything went smoothly in any situation. She enjoyed helping others and dreamed of becoming a nurse. Chloe is love and love is Chloe.”
Meanwhile, Nardo shared an update of the happenings since the event in a statement to the Libertas community.
He wrote, “I am writing with an update on events since the passing of our dearly departed Chloe Williams on Feb 17th. Our school community has been bathed in an outpouring of love.
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“That first afternoon, a group of community leaders—Pastor Ricky Floyd, DeAndre Brown, County Commissioners Charlie Caswell and Mikell Lowery, and School Board Member Stephanie Love—convened in our library to offer words of consolation to our grieving staff. Pastor Floyd called us to overcome the temptation to second guessing by turning to love because, in the words of Mr. Brown, “this is not just a school; it’s a mission.”
He revealed that the school has made preparations to help students who may be experiencing trauma after the event.
“The next morning, we witnessed the attachment village at work. Counselors rushed in from Alliance Health, Agape Child and Family Services, the Shelby County Office of Youth Services, UT Health Science Center, Legacy of Legends CDC, our former counselor Becca McKay, and more, as well as board members Mrs. Brown and Francis Ginski. With these friends at our side, every classroom opened the day talking about what happened, using written guidance for talking about death and the different ways that people feel about it—sadness, anger, confusion—or deal with it—talk, cry, write, or take your mind off it by work. Throughout the day, we made space for individual students and staff members to have personalized care they needed. This team will continue to be available to help.”
The director included the two funds that have been set up online to assist the family — Take Them a Meal and GoFundMe for funeral costs — and encouraged the community to support them.
