Family Files Lawsuit Against School After 5-Year-Old Died During Recess

The family of a 5-year-old Connecticut boy who died during recess is suing the school on the one-year anniversary of their son’s death.

As reported by the Hartford Courant, the parents of Romeo Pierre-Louis, who fatally collapsed during morning recess at the Charter Oak International Academy in April 2022, have filed a lawsuit against the school for his alleged wrongful death.

“Nothing will bring our son back,” the boy’s mother told USA Today. “All we can do is keep his memory in our hearts and do what we can so this doesn’t happen to another child. Listen to our children.”

According to the lawsuit, despite Pierre-Louis’ classmates attempting to bring the tragic incident to the attention of their teachers, school officials failed to act accordingly due to their belief that the 5-year-old was pretending to “play dead” for almost 10 minutes. The staff alleges that their students were known to play games like this in the past. 

Andy Morrow, West Hartford’s acting superintendent of schools, released a statement on Tuesday following the news of the Pierre-Louis family’s lawsuit.

“The death of a child is a devastating and unimaginable loss, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of Romeo Pierre Louis,” Morrow said. “This tragedy has deeply affected the Charter Oak International Academy community, and the school district continues to make grief support and emotional assistance available to any student or educator who needs it.”