Parents Furious With School After Child Stabbed In Throat With Pencil
TURLOCK (CBS13) — Parents of a child stabbed in the throat with a pencil say upset that the school didn't call an ambulance, and that they had to come take him to the hospital with the pencil still lodged inside.
Six-year-old Ruben Aguilar was stabbed by a classmate at Crowell Elementary School on Feb. 27.
His father, Ruben Aguilar says after the incident, the school had them come to the school to pick up Ruben with the pencil dangling from his neck.
"They didn't do what they were supposed to do to take care of him," said the father. "Regardless, it wasn't as serious as it was, but it could have been life threatening, and it could have cost my son his life."
He says the school told him they didn't call an ambulance because other parents complained in the past when they got stuck with the bill.
"There's a paper that when you fill out to go to school, if there is an emergency, gives them permission to send them to the hospital. And I did sign that paper," he said. "My son's life means more to me than a couple hundred dollars of whatever I would end up paying."
CBS13 reached out to the district, but they weren't available to go on camera. Instead they released this statement: "All policies and procedures were followed throughout the course of a very thorough investigation. Due to the confidentiality in dealing with minors, the Turlock Unified School District is required to refrain from discussing the details of this incident."
Meanwhile, Ruben does have a scar, but it's doing much better now. His parents are saying his sense of safety at school has suffered.
"He doesn't want to go to school now," his father said. "You expect your kids to be safe, they expect to be safe, and they're not. They don't get that."
Ruben is now at a new school, but his parents say they are looking into possible legal action against the district.
