Boy With Dairy Allergy Dies After School Allegedly Fed Him Grilled Cheese
(CBSDFW.COM) - A preschool in New York was shut down after a 3-year-old boy died following an allergic reaction.
CBS New York reports 3-year-old Elijah Silvera was given a grilled cheese sandwich at the Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services in Harlem. His family said educators were aware that he was allergic to dairy.
Elijah's family said he had just become a student at the preschool when the deadly mistake was made.
New York officials closed down the school while the Health Department determines what exactly went wrong.
In a GoFundMe page set up for Elijah, a family member described what happened to him.
"He was given a grilled cheese sandwich by an adult at the pre-k, despite them knowing and having documented that he has a severe allergy to dairy," the GoFundMe page said. "Elijah went into anaphylactic shock and was taken to the Pediatric ER at Harlem Hospital, where, tragically, they were unable to save him."
Another relative spoke to CBS New York and talked about the 3-year-old's personality that was hard to miss.
"He was just a light — if you see him, he's just a bright light," said Ruben Porras said tearfully. "He's one of those kids that… he was one of those kids that when you walk in the room and saw him you just light up."
In a statement to CBS New York, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it is "closing the Center for Family Services and continuing to aggressively investigate what happened and whether the facility could have done something differently to prevent this tragedy."
Health officials told CBS New York that it appears the school failed to follow a written safety plan and failed to supervise a child adequately.