Ibrahim Alawi
JEDDAH — The family of Nawaf Al-Silmy blamed the school for negligence which resulted in his death.
Six-year-old Nawaf died of suffocation when a callous driver left him locked in the school bus for six hours.
Waleed Al-Silmy, the victim’s cousin, said the school is fully responsible for Nawaf’s death.
“The school should have notified Nawaf’s parents the moment he was found absent from the class. It is part of every school’s responsibility to text the parents when a student is absent,” said Al-Silmy.
“Moreover, Nawaf always sat in the seat right behind the driver. It was so easy to notice him. His elder brother who is in middle school was in the same bus with him but he stepped out of the bus before Nawaf assuming that Nawaf will find his way to his class with his friends as usual,” said Al-Silmy.
He also said his brother only found Nawaf’s glasses, shoes and backpack lying on the floor near the door of the bus at the end of the school day.
“His brother picked Nawaf’s belongings and went to ask the school administration about Nawaf. They simply told him that Nawaf was found unconscious in the bus and that he is in the school’s infirmary,” said Al-Silmy.
Nawaf’s brother went to the school infirmary looking for Nawaf but could not find him.
“When he asked about him again, the school simply told him to go home. They should not have left his brother unattended like that. The school had also sent to his parents a notification about parents’ day only an hour after the incident as if nothing had happened,” said Al-Silmy.
He added the family will not give up until action is taken against the school.
“We did not even receive any condolences from the school. If the school administration and the driver of the bus had only been a little more attentive, Nawaf would not have died. We realize that nothing we do will bring him back. We are arranging for his funeral. But his death will not be passed under the rug as a mere slip up by the school,” said Al-Silmy.
