Inquest: 8 Year Old Girl Drowns On School Excursion
Posted by Amber Robinson at 2:05 PM on September 23, 2008
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. Armani Dirani, 8, was found at the bottom of a pool at the Glenbrook Swim Centre in the Blue Mountains in 2006. She was with her classmates on an end of term “celebration day” excursion.
Today the inquest heard that Armani had taken no formal swimming lessons. A note had been sent home asking parents to circle whether they were able to swim or not, but it is disputed whether the correct choice had been circled on Armani’s note. Questions have been raised about whether Armani’s parents, who are Lebanese, correctly understood the note. The school no longer sent notes to parents in foreign languages due to a decrease in non-English speaking students.
The court heard that 15 teachers and four teachers’ aides had been supervising the excursion, however, three of the four lifeguards on duty had allegedly been working in the canteen at the time of the incident.
The inquest continues tomorrow. It certainly makes you wonder how safe our kids really are when on school excursions, and is a sober reminder of the importance of swimming lessons for all children.
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