Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David M. Baum, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Camden Belfield died in July 2008 after touching a light pole at Bartonville Park in Peoria Illinois. The wiring was insufficient and not properly grounded according to an investigation of the incident. It is most unfortunate that 8 year old Camden Belfield died due to inadequate safety measures for the light pole. The incident happened while Camden was playing tag with friends at approximately 9 p.m. at night on July 20, 2008 when he came in contact with the wooden light pole. Apparently, the light pole and its wiring had been deficient since the year it was installed in 1994. The school district owned the property and leased it out to the Limestone Girls Softball Association for its use. A lawsuit was later filed for the wrongful death of Camden Belfield.
Wisconsin, as does most states, requires that school bus drivers pass a criminal background check prior to receiving a school bus driver’s license endorsement. Although Wisconsin allows school bus drivers to have felony convictions, it does provide a detailed list of felony convictions, including convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, which will disqualify a person from being a school bus driver for periods of time ranging from two years to a lifetime disqualification. You can read more about the qualifications for school bus drivers in Wisconsin at the 
What are the staffing requirements for Missouri day care centers? Pursuant to 19 Code of State Regulations Section 60.050 – Staffing Requirements, a day care facility has a legal duty to provide supervision and basic care of all children in the day care facility program. In particular, staff members must provide care to promote the health and safety of the children. In addition, staff members shall not be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs when providing care for the children. There are specific staff ration requirements set forth by the Missouri Code of State Regulations. The staff ratios are dependent on the age of the children and the number of children in a group being supervised by the day care facility.
You never know who is working in our schools as teachers, administrators, or cafeteria workers. In New Jersey, an elementary school cafeteria worker and playground monitor resigned from her position after there was an uproar in the community about her prior career choices which included being a porn star. The cafeteria worker was formerly known as Crystal Guns, an adult entertainer who has been quite popular on the Internet. She was better known for her porn appearances rather than her serving up of meat loaf in the New Jersey School System. Some parents and concerned citizens raised issues about her working in the school system.
Day Care Centers and Residential Day Care Centers in the State of Texas are regulated by the 
Edel Sum, the owner / operator of a Round Rock, Texas day care center in her home, was arrested for child endangerment. Apparently, Ms. Sum left her home and 4 children under the age of 2. The children were left in the home alone with absolutely no parental supervision While she was out, she was involved in an automobile accident. She then informed the police officer that she needed to go home in order to take care of the children. A neighbor was able to get into the home to find the children in their play pens.
A New York middle school teacher (Ellen Bernstein) at Haverstraw Middle School in Rockland County decided to illustrate concepts of slavery with two teen students by binding the students. One student was white and one was black. The teacher bound the feet and hands of both students. The black student (Gabrielle Shand) did not volunteer for the lesson and when she returned home later that day was in tears in recounting the public school lesson with her mother. The local NAACP has stepped in to protest the lesson and conduct of the school teacher.