DETROIT (WWJ) - A swimming teacher in Detroit has been placed on administrative leave after a student apparently drowned in the school pool.
An investigation is underway, according to a statement released by the Detroit Public Schools on Tuesday, and administrators say if there is any wrongdoing those found to be responsible will be held accountable.
According to authorities, a 16-year-old Deshawn Blanding was found unresponsive at the bottom of the pool at Detroit Mumford High School on Monday. A certified swimming instructor administered CPR before the teen was a taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Many questions still remain today: including whether the incident happened during a swimming class or at a swim team practice, and who was supposed to be supervising the students at the time.
Here is the complete statement released by the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board through the Chair, Dr. Iris Taylor and Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti: "Yesterday’s loss of one of our students during school hours and at one of our schools has been one of the most difficult incidents we have endured as a School Board/Superintendent team. We are committed to determine what caused this tragic loss at the highest level of transparency once the facts surface regarding what occurred. If the conclusion of the investigation reveals any wrongdoing then we will be sure to hold any and all personnel or students accountable. At this point, the swimming teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation or the surfacing of more facts regarding the incident.
"We will provide Mumford students with grief counselors as they requested by our students, staff and parents. We sincerely request that the media respect the confidentiality of the student we lost and allow the District and law enforcement to complete our investigation of the matter. We commit to fully updating the media and community about the incident once additional facts surface. We have nothing to gain from hiding the truth of this devastating loss. We owe our student, his family, and the Mumford community the truth and justice they deserve—and we are fully committed to that conclusion."
While this is believed to have been a drowning, the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office tells WWJ Newsradio 950 that the student's offcial cause and manner of death are still pending.
Swimming classes at Mumford are canceled until further notice.