Teresa Sperry: Suffolk parents blame school for death of 'class nurse' girl from Covid
Teresa Sperry, a 10-year-old Virginia girl, died on September 27, 2021, barely five days after developing a headache and six days after she was entrusted with walking sick children to the nurse's office, her parents claim. Her parents, Jeff and Nicole, were not informed of her Covid-19 positive result until two days after she died. They stormed into the school on Saturday, January 29, to protest what they called a half-hearted examination into her death.
According to the school's report, she was forced into the job of class nurse at Hillpoint Elementary on September 21, and which required her to take sick students to the nurse. The school, on the other hand, has stated that strict standards were in place when dealing with any students who showed signs of Covid-19.
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Teresa had escorted a student to the nurse's office for an inhaler and an arm injury two days before she first experienced a headache, which later evolved into more serious symptoms, according to the school's report. Her teacher informed investigators that neither she nor the kid she was assisting had any symptoms at the time, and Teresa was not required to assist students who appeared to be infected, according to the report. However, requiring a student to take sick kids to the nurse went against Suffolk Public Schools Covid-19 rules.
Jeff Sperry, her father, told The Virginian-Pilot, "They made her do this job without parental consent. Having a child walk students to the nurse during the pandemic? It is nonsense. It is insane. Had anybody asked me or informed me, I would have said no.”
Teresa's mother, Nicole Sperry, got a tattoo to honor her daughter's spirit. She captioned the image on Instagram: "The very sticky bandage is off and aftercare is on it. I can't wait until it's fully healed."
According to her parents, the three-page report on the 10-year-death old's made no attempt to undertake detailed contact tracing. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, they were able to get Teresa's death dossier. They were not given it willingly by the school. Teresa's parents believe the school failed to assist them in comprehending what happened to their daughter.
According to Jeff Sperry, "I feel that the investigation report is incredibly incomplete. How do they know who she was around while she sat outside the nurse’s clinic? They did not look at the cameras. There is nothing in it about interviewing the security guard, who would have seen my daughter going to the clinic. They did not interview anyone else that would have seen her.”
“Students who attend Hillpoint Elementary School who are suspected of having COVID symptoms are reported to the nurse or office with a phone call to indicate a suspected ‘Code C,’” Suffolk's Public Schools said in a statement to the Pilot.