Mumbai: Parents withdraw child from school, issue notice after pool injury

A Std IV student of JBCN International School Borivli sustained a head injury on the school premises in December 2024 requiring eight stitches Following the incident the childrsquos parents withdrew her admission from the school and sent a legal notice to the management alleging negligence in providing prompt medical attention and accusing the staff of insensitivity in handling the matter The school management however has denied all allegations made by the parents in the legal notice and stated that they have responded to their legal noticeAccording to the childrsquos parentsmdashSatyakam Gautam and Vandana Devi Laishrammdashthe school failed to act promptly causing delays in providing necessary medical care They claim the staff displayed negligence and insensitivity further exacerbating their daughterrsquos trauma The parents have accused the school of jeopardising student safety by not implementing adequate emergency protocols and maintaining an apathetic attitudeJBCN International School in BorivliThe incident occurred on December 20 2024 during the last period of the day which was a swimming class After the session as part of the usual routine students were expected to shower and change into their uniforms before leaving According to the parents their daughter slipped near the shower area after taking a shower resulting in a head injuryAccording to the school the incident occurred at around 225 pm The girlrsquos mother arrived at the school at 250 pm and the child was subsequently rushed to the Karuna Hospital nearby at 310 pm where she received eight stitches The parents stated that their daughter informed them she got accidentally pushed by someone causing her to slip and hit her head on a faucet However when they inquired with the school the staff claimed she had been playing in a wet restricted area which led to the accidentldquoWe visited the school again on January 3 and after much insistence we were allowed to view the CCTV footage The footage only showed her coming out of the pool area and being taken in the lift There was no CCTV coverage of the shower area so we have no way of knowing how the accident actually occurredrdquo said VandanaRecounting the daySatyakam told said ldquoThe day will forever haunt us It was the day we realised how misplaced our trust had been in an institution we thought was safe for our daughter She sustained a severe head injury on the school premises a place where we expected her to be protected nurtured and cared for Instead what we encountered was gross negligence insensitive behaviour and a complete lack of preparedness for emergenciesrdquoAccording to Vandana panic set in when the school informed her that her daughter had fallen in a ldquorestricted areardquo near the swimming pool ldquoBy the time we Vandana and the girlrsquos caretaker reached the school she was wrapped in bandages her head soaked in blood There were three other bloodsoaked cotton balls lying near her The sight of her sitting there with no immediate steps taken to transport her to a hospital was beyond horrifying The principal was not present there The staffrsquos dismissive attitude and refusal to provide clarity only added to the ordealRefusal to show CCTV footageThe refusal to show us CCTV footage the insensitive remarks from staff about unrelated matters and the principalrsquos alarming absence during those critical moments left us feeling abandoned by a system that should have prioritised our childrsquos wellbeing Instead of focusing on the urgent need for medical attention we were met with arrogance and excusesrdquo Vandana saidPrincipal missingShe added ldquoWe rushed our daughter to the hospital ourselves without so much as an offer of assistance from the school Eight stitches later and after what could have been a lifethreatening delay we were left grappling with not just her physical pain but also the emotional trauma caused by the schoolrsquos handling of the situationHow can a school justify leaving a bleeding child unattended while waiting for parents to arrive How can educators who are meant to be caregivers behave with such callousness And how can a principal leader of the institution remain absent and unaccountable for over 35 minutes during an emergencyrdquoAccording to Satyakam the incident has left the family questioning not just the infrastructure of the institution but also the values it claims to uphold ldquoOur daughterrsquos smile once vibrant and carefree now carries the weight of pain and trauma As her parents we are left to pick up the pieces but the scars both seen and unseen will remain To other parents we urge vigilance A school is meant to be a sanctuary for our children When it fails in that duty itrsquos not just negligence itrsquos a betrayalrdquoSchool respondsResponding to the allegations made by the parents and clarifying their position a spokesperson for the school said ldquoApproximately a month ago following the conclusion of a swimming session an unfortunate incident occurred where a learner despite being advised against playing near the poolside slipped and sustained an injuryrdquo As per the spokesperson the student received immediate attention within two minutes of the incident with the schoolrsquos paramedical team responding swiftly and with great careldquoThe school principal along with key members of the team was present to personally check on the learnerrsquos condition and within a few minutes first aid was administered under the guidance of a doctor consulted via call The parents were promptly notified and by the time they arrived the learner had already received medical attention and was in a stable condition We maintained close communication with the family throughout the process to ensure the learnerrsquos wellbeing and recovery The safety and wellbeing of our learners remain our highest priority We take pride in upholding rigorous safety protocols compliance measures and a nurturing environment reaffirming our commitment to providing a secure and supportive space for every learnerrdquo the spokesperson added