A 3-year-old boy allegedly died last week after an employee at his preschool fed him a grilled cheese. The child’s father, Thomas Silvera, claims that everything possible was done to inform the school of his son Elijah Silvera’s severe dairy allergy before the tragic incident, including providing proper paperwork and medication. Silvera insists that more action is required in reprimanding the school and ensuring the avoidance of such devastating mistakes in the future.
According to ABC News , although the Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services in Harlem had documented information regarding Elijah’s allergy and medication to assist them should such a mishap occur, the school did not follow proper protocol. After eating a grilled cheese given to him by a school supervisor, available medication was not dispersed, and 911 was not called. Rather, Elijah’s mother was called to take him to the hospital, where he later went into anaphylactic shock and died.
Silvera is angry that the ignorance and neglect of the school resulted in the unnecessary loss of his child. He not only longs for justice of Elijah’s death but sees a need for changes to be made within educational facilities.
According to Thomas Silvera, every faculty member should be aware of each child’s allergies and the severity thereof. Silvera believes that it was possible to avoid this situation and that proper training and knowledge regarding children with severe allergies can be very helpful in preventing further mistakes by staff. While he grieves the loss of his son, he hopes similar situations may cease to exist in the future.
WSB-TV reports that the school has closed for now and the New York City Police Department is aggressively investigating Elijah’s death. At this time, investigators are unsure whether the situation could have been avoided. They simply do not have enough details yet but hope to learn more.
Deputy Commissioner at the Administration for Children’s services, Lorelei Vargas, says that not much more information can be shared currently due to the ongoing investigation. Right now, it is unclear whether Thomas Silvera will get the justice he desires for his son or instigate a change in the way schools to deal with such occurrences.
[Featured Image by Saying Goodbye To Elijah/GoFundMe ]
