Cranbrook Schools Brookside

R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 Staff; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.

On 4/14/22, I received notice via email that Child A fell from outdoor play equipment on 4/13/22. The below account was authored by school nurse Leann Abbott in the incident report that I received. Courtney Effinger, substitute teacher, did not witness the fall, but carried [Child A] to the clinic to be assessed. Nursing assessment: [Child A] fell 22 inches through the window of a playhouse onto the cement. No one witnessed the actual fall. He was quite tearful and a significant hematoma formed quickly. No signs of concussion were evident except he could not remember his mom's name which Mom states isn't necessarily normal for him. He rated his pain "severe" on the FACES pain scale. Crying subsided. After 10 minutes of applying ice, the swelling and bruising improved. My follow-up assessment showed no indications of concussion. He still did not remember his mom's name, but once I told him, he began telling me about her nicknames without solicitation. He now rated his pain as "moderate" on the FACES pain scale. His mom was contacted right away and came to pick him up for evaluation. I 2 walked her out to the playground so she could see where the accident took place. The pediatrician's office could not get him in so she took him to urgent care. Her follow-up email states there were not signs of concussion found by the evaluating physician, but it was recommended he take the day off from school on 4/14/22. I made an unannounced visit on 4/20/22 and saw the wooden playhouse where the accident occurred on the playground. The house has multiple open window and door cutouts. On the side of the playhouse where the accident occurred there are three windows. The highest is too small for a child to climb through. Beneath the other two windows, there is a slab of cement, a continuation of the sidewalk. These two windows have ledges at each base. One is elevated approximately two feet above the cement, the other about three feet. I interviewed program director Karen Watson. Child A attends Junior Kindergarten. Two classrooms consisting of 24 children aged 4 to 5 years were on the playground when the incident occurred with five staff members present, though none of them witnessed Child A's fall. Ms. Watson confirmed that the nurse, Ms. Abbott, was the one who evaluated Child A's injuries, provided first aid, and called his mother. I interviewed staff member Shauna Macauley. She estimated that she was about four feet away from Child A with her back to him when she heard a thud. She turned around and saw Child A face down on the cement. She rushed over to him and noticed a purple raised area on his forehead. He was crying. Courtney Effinger who was just a few feet away took him inside the school while she remained outdoors and supervised the other children. She was unsure which of the two windows above the cement that he had fallen from. She said it is common for children to crawl in and out of those two windows. I interviewed Courtney Effinger. She was about six feet away from Child A when the accident occurred. She did not see him fall. She saw Ms. Macauley with him and noticed considerable swelling on the right side of his forehead. She carried him indoors to nurse Abbott. Ms. Effinger said kids always, carefully climb in and out of the playhouse windows. I called Child A's mother. She said her son is back to normal and was not diagnosed with a concussion. She was immediately notified by Ms. Abbott about the accident and was satisfied with the care she and the staff members provided. Her son remains enrolled at the center.

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