Student with autism kept in 'makeshift' cage choked on rubber glove, 'turned blue' while special ed staffer was 'preoccupied with her cellphone': Lawsuit

A peculiar ed staffer astatine a Texas precocious schoolhouse fto a student with "severe autism" and an "infantile-like propensity to chew objects astir him" swallow and fatally choke connected a rubber mitt portion she was "preoccupied with her cellphone," a lawsuit says.

The Spring Branch Independent School District settled a suit filed successful February 2025 by the parents of Stratford High School pupil Sebastian Romo, identified successful tribunal documents and a GoFundMe. The colony was reached connected May 19. Both the territory and the staffer allegedly progressive were named arsenic defendants.

Sebastian died successful February 2023 aft spending respective days successful a coma arsenic a effect of the choking incident. His parents alleged successful their ineligible complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime, that helium had "previous incidents of ingesting overseas objects," including swallowing insubstantial insubstantial and a "binder clip," the second of which resulted successful Sebastian being "hospitalized and intubated."

Sebastian had "severe" autism and Williams-Beuren Deletion Syndrome, which caused him to person "few self-help skills and required precise adjacent supervision astatine home, successful his community, and astatine school," per the complaint.

Sebastian was allegedly forced to walk "significant portions" of his mornings "isolated" and "unsupervised" portion being "kept successful a makeshift caged area" wrong his classroom, according to his parents.

"Despite it being available, helium was not provided his chewy artifact by staff," the ailment said. "The schoolroom and surrounding areas contained readily accessible rubber gloves and different perchance ingestible items."

On the time helium choked, Sebastian allegedly "obtained a rubber mitt oregon portion of a rubber mitt and placed it successful his mouth" aft his luncheon period. He past entered the school's gymnasium and began choking, the ailment said.

"Surveillance footage shows him successful disposable distress for an extended period," according to the complaint. "He stumbled, fell, crawled connected his knees, deed his head, and repeatedly brought his hands to his mouth. Despite these disposable signs of distress, nary unit subordinate intervened; rather, SBISD unit look to beryllium huddled together, chatting."

The staffer named successful the lawsuit, a speech-language pathology adjunct employed by Soliant Health and assigned to Stratford High School, was contiguous and "preoccupied with her cellphone," per the complaint.

"Like the SBISD employees, she neglected her duties," the ailment said. "[Sebastian] would yet travel and autumn implicit different pupil sitting connected the level adjacent to [the staffer]. Only upon [Sebastian] falling, did [the staffer] past look up from her cellphone."

By this point, Sebastian had "ceased breathing, helium had turned blue, and helium was successful a authorities of unconsciousness," according to the complaint. Nobody attempted CPR oregon different lifesaving measures, nor did anyone effort to "remove what should person been a known overseas object" including the Heimlich maneuver, per the complaint.

"It was aboriginal determined that [Sebastian's] airway had been obstructed by a portion of purple aesculapian mitt accordant with those utilized and accessible wrong the Life Skills schoolroom and surrounding areas," the ailment said. "[Sebastian] suffered catastrophic oxygen deprivation and died a fewer days later."

Sebastian's parents alleged that "this calamity occurred contempt years of warnings, repeated anterior incidents, known risks, and readily disposable preventative measures." Stratford High School unit allegedly "failed to person a ceremonial argumentation and process connected the disposal of the soiled rubber gloves" utilized successful assisting Sebastian, arsenic good arsenic his classmates.

"The School District should person responded with a fig of accommodations to marque the situation safer for [Sebastian] and his peers," the ailment concluded. "Instead, the School District seemingly had a customized and signifier of leaving this important information interest to individuals. As should beryllium obvious, this was a mortal and reckless oversight by SBISD."

The territory provided a connection to the Houston Chronicle connected the colony and lawsuit, saying, "The territory denies wrongdoing successful this tragic incident, and the tribunal dismissed astir of the family's claims against SBISD. We bash not person further remark retired of respect for the privateness of the family."

Terms of the colony were not publically released.