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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Swim classes at Nathan Hale Magnet Middle School in Omaha have been halted after a 12-year-old boy drowned in the school's pool last week.
Ten students were being supervised by one teacher in the gym aquatics class on Nov. 13, when seventh-grader Demariont'e Brown-Elliott was pulled from the pool, according to The Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/1z9LR2T ) in a report published Saturday.
In lieu of swimming, Nathan Hale students have been doing other activities in gym class this week, Omaha Public Schools spokesman Todd Andrews said. Swim classes have continued at other district schools with pools.
The school district and police are conducting investigations into the boy's death.
The school district has released few details on the events surrounding the student's death, citing federal student privacy laws.
It did reveal that the supervising teacher, whom the district has not identified, is a certified physical education teacher who is also CPR-certified. OPS does not require swim instructors to have any additional certifications beyond the physical education endorsement required by the state, Andrews said.
Students must show they can swim in shallow water before progressing to more advanced lessons or the deep end, according to district policy.
But the mother of Demariont'e said he was a beginning swimmer who failed a 3-foot swim test. She said her son was found at the bottom of the pool's deep end.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
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