Family wants answers on how 7-year-old fractured his femur in Hyattsville classroom

When a mom and dad in Prince George’s County sent their first grader to school last Friday, it started just like any other day. But it ended with a trip to the hospital.

After class started at Edward M. Felegy Elementary School on Feb. 19, Anthony Donaldson and his wife received a phone call that no parent wants to get while their kid is at school.

“My wife got a call at 9 a.m. from the school nurse, saying that he was on the floor … ‘He won’t let anybody touch him,’ and he’s just screaming bloody murder,” Donaldson said.

Their 7-year-old son, Daevian, was in distress. His parents rushed to the school.

“When I walked in the classroom, he looked terrified. He was curled up on his side, on the floor, because he’s hurt,” Donaldson said.

Nearly a week later, Daevian’s parents still have no idea what led to his femur being completely fractured.

“When we spoke to the substitute teacher, she said, ‘Hey, I don’t know what happened. We started an activity, they were having fun, and then the next minute he was on the floor crying.’ That’s the answer I got,” Donaldson said.

He said nobody at the school called 911.

“I picked my son up, I took the elevator, and I put him in the car and brought him to the hospital,” Donaldson said.

So what happened?

News4 asked Prince George’s County Public Schools about the incident.

The school system says it’s “deeply concerned” that a “student sustained an injury while at school.”

They said an investigation will try to figure out what caused the injury, “whether appropriate and timely actions were taken, and and what steps are necessary moving forward.”

They also said that a staff member involved has been placed on administrative leave.

Daevian has what’s known as an IEP, or an Individualized Education Program. IEPs provide customized learning plans for students with special needs, such as Daevian, who has  autism.

When we asked whether Daevian’s IEP was being followed when this emergency happened, PGCPS told News4: “We expect all staff to provide attentive supervision and support that reflects the individual needs of their students. If our review finds that those expectations were not met, appropriate action will be taken.”

“I think we can equate it to car accidents — because that split second you take your eyes off the road, that’s it,” Donaldson said. “It’s the same thing in the classroom …. You gotta make sure these kids are looked after and make sure they’re safe.”

As for Daevian, his dad says he had a successful surgery, but breaking a femur is obviously a very serious injury. The road to recovery will last for months and will include physical therapy.