Education

Riley Avenue Elementary School staffers save choking kindergartener

When a choking 5-year-old is turning blue, the nurse’s office just down the hall can seem lightyears away. 

This was security guard Sarah Atkins’ adrenaline-fueled perspective last Tuesday morning as a Riley Avenue Elementary School kindergartener choked on a chicken nugget. As the child’s condition grew more dire in the hallway just outside the cafeteria, she performed numerous Heimlich maneuvers and shouted for nearby staff members to get the nurse.

Thanks to Ms. Atkin’s quick actions, and the assistance of substitute nurse Judy Marcus, the chicken nugget was dislodged from the child’s throat and fell onto the tile floor.

Principal David Enos said this was one of the most serious health safety incidents he had witnessed during his 26-year tenure at Riley Avenue Elementary School in Calverton.

“I’ve had a lot of things happen in 26 years, but it’s right up there,” he said. “This was something serious because of the size of the piece. I think it’s amazing that this was able to be dislodged.”

The incident lasted a span of only a few minutes. Around 11:15 a.m., the child, whose parents requested they remain anonymous, appeared to vomit at their lunch table. Nearby kindergarten teacher’s aide Daisy Peters said she brought the child to a garbage can before first grade teacher’s aide Yasmina Ouyahia recognized the student was not sick, but choking.

Ms. Atkins, scanning the cafeteria from her desk about 40 feet away, heard the concern in her colleague’s voices, and spotted the child.

“The kid was gasping for air,” she said. “You could tell that [their] body was fighting.”

Ms. Atkins, who previously practiced nursing for more than two decades, began performing the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria to no avail. She brought the child out of the cafeteria en route to the nurse’s office, but only made it halfway there when she noticed the child’s condition was growing increasingly dire. His body went limp; his complexion turned blue, she recalled. 

Once again, Ms. Atkins began performing the Heimlich maneuver. She yelled for coach Kyle Boden and substitute teacher Emily Densieski, who were just down the hall, to get the nurse.

“It felt like forever,” said Ms. Densieski, who witnessed Ms. Atkins attempts to clear the child’s airway. “It was scary, I had never seen anybody choke in real life.”

As Ms. Marcus made her way down the hall, Ms. Atkins continued her life saving efforts. She heard Ms. Marcus say they should hit the child on the back with an open palm to force the blockage out. She then bent the child over and and performed the maneuver. Ms. Marcus said she also struck the child’s back with her palm to force the food out.

By this time, Mr. Enos, whose office is also down the hall from the cafeteria, was aware of the situation and a staff member dialed 911.

“The sequence of events, it happened so fast,” Mr. Enos recalled. “They were both actively working on the child.”

Within seconds, the child’s airway was cleared, and everyone in the hallway let out a sigh of relief.

“Once the kid started crying, I was very relieved,” Ms. Atkins said.

Drenched in sweat and feeling a bit weak in her limbs, Ms. Atkins walked alongside the child into the nurse’s office.

“We brought him back to the nurse’s office and we checked his lungs,” Ms. Marcus said. “He was crying and upset, but his lungs were clear. We called his mom and he went home.”

Mr. Enos said the event has spawned a district-wide conversation regarding how teachers and faculty must be prepared to handle similar situations and administer life saving care. At his elementary school, he said this would be a topic at the next staff meeting.

The day after the incident, the child was back in school. Ms. Atkins said this was her first time as a security guard encountering a choking student, and it seems the experience will stick with her for quite some time.

“This kid is my friend for life. I saw him the next morning and I hugged him,” Ms. Atkins said. “I was a little emotional.”