A bathroom sink fell on a student’s foot at Agueda Johnston Middle School in Ordot, Kandit was able to confirm today with Guam Department of Education spokeswoman Michelle Franquez.
School officials made the decision not to send the student to a clinical facility for any treatment after assessing and speaking to the student.
Agueda was among several schools that would not have been allowed to open due to safety and sanitation concerns, had Guam’s senators stuck with a February law of theirs – authored by Chris Barnett – to prohibit schools from opening without passing inspections. Instead, a majority of senators at the eleventh hour voted to allow schools to open despite concerns the campuses would not be safe. Lou Leon Guerrero signed the new mandate into law.
The flip flop was criticized by Douglas Moylan, the attorney general, and triggered a law suit attorney Daniel Somerfleck filed on behalf of school students.
Ms. Franquez’s full statement explaining what happened and how the Agueda staff is handling the situation follows:
“Yes, it has been confirmed by the Agueda I. Johnston Middle (AIJMS) School administrative team that a restroom sink fell on a student’s foot.
“The student was responsive and fine after the situation. The student was sent to the school health counselor (SHC). The SHC conducted an assessment and wrote up an injury report and note for the student. The SHC was able to contact the student’s parent. Afterward, the student was sent to Assistant Principal Anderson Joseph’s office. Mr. Joseph spoke with the student and sent the student back to class. AIJMS administrators confirmed that they will be meeting with the student’s parent this afternoon.
“According to AIJMS principal, Dr. Rebecca Perez, Facilities & Maintenance was informed, and a team was deployed to clean and secure the area of the broken sink. The restroom is still open and available for students to use. She further explained that in July, her school custodian and an AIJMS employee worked throughout the last week of July to repair or replace fixtures in all restrooms with parts that were purchased through blanket purchase orders (BPO). Dr. Perez also stated that administrators do make routine rounds to check the restrooms.”
