Woman sues preschool for negligence after son injured during playtime

A woman is suing her son's preschool for negligence after he was injured during playtime.

He was pushed off an indoor slide twice by another student, she said at the trial which began at the State Courts on Monday (Sept 7).

The woman alleged that the preschool's teachers had failed to properly supervise the children, adding that there were no safety mats placed under the 75cm-high slide when the incident happened, CNA reported.

She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

To prevent the publication of the identities of the woman and her son, as well as the preschool, a gag order has been imposed.

The incident took place on July 12, 2024, when the boy was four years old.

In court, the woman presented four video clips showing events at the preschool's play area that day, claiming that the teachers were not paying sufficient attention to the children.

In one of the clips, she pointed out a girl who was standing at the top of the slide, saying it would be dangerous if the child fell.

Another student hit her head on the wall playing behind the teachers, a second clip showed.

The teachers "were really distracted, both looking at their phones at the same time," the parent said, claiming they only noticed what had happened after the girl cried.

The other two videos showed the interactions between her son and another boy, including a head-on collision.

The woman said her son could be heard saying "pain, pain" afterwards, but the teachers appeared to be unaware of what had happened.

According to the woman, the other boy pushed her son off the slide twice.

Her son fell to the ground but got back up and attempted to climb the slide again.

The other boy, who was sitting at the top, then pushed him off a second time.

Her son used his hand to break the fall, narrowly missing another child who was riding a tricycle nearby, the woman said.

He then ran towards the teachers to show them his hand. The extent of his injuries was not disclosed in court.

The boy's parents became emotional while watching the footage in court, with his father covering his eyes as he cried, CNA reported.

An educator herself, the woman said she understood that teachers had limitations.

But it was reasonable to expect staff to watch out for potential dangers, particularly around a high-risk area such as the slide which had no mats, she added.

According to court documents, the woman said that photographs of the preschool's play area in 2017 showed shock-absorbent mats placed around the slide.

These mats were not present when her son was injured, she pointed out.

During cross-examination, the preschool's lawyer questioned the woman's description of the teachers' behaviour.

He asked about her use of "no effective supervision" in her affidavit and whether she was referring to regulations set by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

He also questioned her understanding of the distinction between supervision and effective supervision.

Pointing to photographs of the woman's son that the preschool had regularly sent to her, the defence asked whether she had noticed safety mats in the background.

"We don't look at the surroundings. I trust that there will be safe play around the area," she replied, adding that she focused on her son's face in the photographs to check that he was doing well.

The woman also maintained that teachers should be positioned close to the slide but they were not there when the incident happened.

The court also heard that she had contacted ECDA and wanted the agency to interview her and her husband about what happened.

She said they were not given the opportunity to do so, although she could not recall the exact details of her correspondence with the agency.

The trial is ongoing at the State Courts.

Similar incidents at preschools

This case follows other incidents where children were injured in preschools.

Last July, a woman raised concerns after her one-year-old daughter suffered a deep cut to her tongue following a fall at Little Footprints Preschool in Ang Mo Kio.

The child required 12 stitches for what was described as a "minor injury".

Renny Izzatie said she was informed by her daughter's form teacher that the child had been injured.

Izzatie also questioned why her daughter was put down for a nap instead of being taken to a clinic.

She called for a review of the preschool's CCTV footage as well as a clearer timeline of what had happened.

At the time, ECDA said that it was investigating the incident, adding that appropriate action would be taken if its investigations found breaches of early childhood development centre regulations.

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com

一名女子起诉儿子的幼儿园，指控其疏忽大意，因为她的儿子在玩耍时受伤。

她在周一（9 月 7 日）在州法院开庭审理的案件中表示，他曾两次被另一名学生从室内滑梯上推下。

据中央社报道，该女子声称幼儿园老师未能妥善监管儿童，并补充说，事发时75厘米高的滑梯下没有铺设安全垫。

她要求赔偿金额未定。

为防止公布该女子及其儿子的身份以及幼儿园的信息，已下达禁言令。

事件发生在 2024 年 7 月 12 日，当时这名男孩四岁。

在法庭上，该女子出示了四段视频片段，展示了当天幼儿园游戏区发生的事件，并声称老师们没有给予孩子们足够的关注。

在其中一段视频中，她指着站在滑梯顶端的一个女孩说，如果孩子掉下去会很危险。

第二段视频显示，另一名学生在老师身后玩耍时头部撞到了墙上。

这位家长说，老师们“真的心不在焉，两人同时都在看手机”，并声称他们是在女孩哭了之后才注意到发生了什么事。

另外两段视频显示了她儿子和另一个男孩之间的互动，其中包括一次正面碰撞。

该女子说，事后可以听到她的儿子说“疼，疼”，但老师们似乎并不知道发生了什么事。

据该女子称，另一个男孩两次将她的儿子从滑梯上推了下来。

她的儿子摔倒在地，但又爬了起来，试图再次爬上滑梯。

坐在上面的另一个男孩又一次把他推了下去。

这位母亲说，她的儿子用手缓冲了摔倒的冲击力，险些伤到附近骑三轮车的另一个​​孩子。

随后他跑向老师们，向他们展示自己的手。法庭并未透露他的伤势程度。

据中央社报道，男孩的父母在法庭上观看录像时情绪激动，他的父亲捂着眼睛哭泣。

这位女士本人也是一名教育工作者，她说她理解教师的局限性。

但她补充说，要求工作人员注意潜在危险是合理的，尤其是在滑梯等高风险区域附近，因为那里没有垫子。

根据法庭文件，该女子称，2017 年该幼儿园游乐区的照片显示，滑梯周围放置了减震垫。

她指出，她儿子受伤时，这些垫子并不在场。

在交叉询问中，幼儿园的律师质疑了该女子对教师行为的描述。

他询问她在宣誓书中提到的“缺乏有效监管”是否指的是幼儿发展署（ECDA）制定的规章制度。

他还质疑她对监督和有效监督之间区别的理解。

辩方指着幼儿园定期发给这位女士的儿子的照片，问她是否注意到照片背景中的安全垫。

“我们不看周围环境。我相信这附近会有安全的玩耍场所，”她回答说，并补充说，她在照片中只关注儿子的脸，以确认他一切安好。

该女子还坚持认为，教师应该站在滑梯附近，但事发时他们并不在那里。

法庭还获悉，她曾联系幼儿培育署，希望该机构就此事对她和她的丈夫进行面谈。

她说他们没有机会这样做，尽管她记不清与该机构通信的具体细节。

该案正在州法院审理中。

幼儿园也发生过类似事件

这起事件与之前发生的多起幼儿园儿童受伤事件类似。

去年七月，一名女子对她一岁的女儿在宏茂桥小脚印幼儿园摔倒后舌头被割伤一事表示担忧。

这名儿童因“轻微伤”缝了 12 针。

雷尼·伊扎蒂说，她从女儿的班主任那里得知，孩子受伤了。

伊扎蒂还质疑，为什么她的女儿被哄睡而不是被送往诊所。

她要求查看幼儿园的监控录像，并要求提供更清晰的事件时间线。

当时，幼儿培育署表示正在调查这起事件，并补充说，如果调查发现违反幼儿发展中心规章的行为，将采取适当的行动。

asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com