Anne Arundel Co. Board of Education settles with family of autistic student who died after choking in school

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Anne Arundel County Board of Education and family of Bowen Levy have agreed to a $2.5 million settlement over a federal wrongful loss of life lawsuit.

Back in November of 2019, Bowen choked on a rubber glove whereas attending Central Special School. He died simply 5 days later on the age of 17.

Bowen was autistic and had additionally been recognized with a particular dysfunction known as pica.

Those affected by pica are identified to compulsively swallow and eat objects, that normally are usually not edible.

An investigation by the Department of Social Services discovered neglect on the half of the school system, and dominated that Bowen had died “as a result of the systemic failure at Central Special School.”

RELATED: Bowen Levy’s family recordsdata lawsuit towards board of training, principal of Central Special

On the day Bowen choked on the glove, the school had been severely understaffed. His common trainer, and an assistant have been on go away that afternoon.

A substitute trainer and two excessive school student volunteers have been filling in on the time of the incident, whereas two different help assistants have been in one other half of the constructing serving to one other student.

It wasn’t the one time that day Bowen had gotten his palms on a rubber glove and tried placing it in his mouth. The first time it occurred, a employees member noticed it and took the glove away.

It had initially taken months for Bowen’s family to get any solutions from the school system on how this might occur.

MORE: Ten months after student’s loss of life, school system hasn’t answered the family’s questions

“Staff members at AACPS particular facilities are in fixed want of gloves to carry out their duties all through the day, and the gloves remained seen and accessible to Bowen on the afternoon of November 5, 2019,” School Board President Joanna Tobin and Superintendent George Arlotto mentioned in a joint assertion on the settlement. “We consider that’s how Bowen accessed the glove that he swallowed later in the day.”

Since Levy’s loss of life, the school board has created 32 new particular training positions at their three developmental facilities to deal with ongoing staffing shortages.

The school system has additionally agreed to implement new employees security and coaching protocols for all college students who have been recognized with acute pica.

“Those who cared so deeply for Bowen, most particularly his family but additionally the devoted Central Special educators and employees, won’t ever totally get better from this tragic loss,” mentioned Tobin and Arlotto. “We consider that the adjustments which have and can come about in consequence of Bowen’s loss of life will make the tutorial surroundings safer for all college students.”