School liable for student's 'selfie' death?

MANILA - Should Rizal High School be held responsible for the death of a junior high school student who died while taking a "selfie?" Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali said the education department will investigate if there was negligence on the part of the school to prevent the incident from happening. The student died after falling down the stairs while taking a "selfie." The incident happened inside school premises during class hours. "Kung mayroon issue ng pagpapabaya, yung konsepto po ng pananagutan ay nandiyan po parati. Ang ibig sabihin kung mayroong nagawa ang ating paaralan o kung sinuman para maiwasan po itong insidenteng ito, meron dapat managot at maparusahan," he told ABS-CBN's UMAGANG KAY GANDA. "Hindi po lahat ng ating paaralan ay may clinic o mga sapat na kaalaman po siguro, na kakayanan na to respond to these kinds of situation," he added. Umali said there are three DepEd orders that allow the use of cellphones outside classrooms. He confirmed that while the student's fall happened during class hours, she was not inside the classroom when it happened. "Nasa labas po ng classroom yung mga bata. Parang break time ito nangyari," he added. Senior Superintendent Mario Rariza, chief of Pasig City Police, said the victim succumbed to her wounds an hour after being rushed to Rizal Medical Center. Results of an autopsy on the victim's remains revealed that the latter sustained broken bones, and an injury at the back of her head. It was also discovered that the victim's rib pierced through her kidney. The student's family is considering pressing charges against the school. The victim's mother is asking witnesses to come forward and shed light on what happened. ABS-CBN NEWS, JULY 4, 2014