Schools ponder role as child nears death
Sunday, December 9th, 2007Kids’ ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders prompt school debate
Beth Jones and her daughter Katie at home. (Chicago Tribune photo)
From the Chicago Tribune, an extended feature on second-grader Katie Jones. After an emotional two-year degate, officials in her school district agreed to honor her “Do Not Resuscitate” order. Oxygen deprivation before birth has left her unable to walk, talk, eat or do anything for herself, and her parents say her condition is worsening.
Now, district officials find themselves in the unusual position of having planned the steps its staff will, or won’t, take to permit a child to die on school grounds. Although DNR orders are common in hospitals and nursing homes, such life-and-death drama rarely plays out in schools, where officials realize how sensitive and traumatic the situation could be for nurses, teachers and students.
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