Girl Suspended Trying to Save Another Girl’s Life With Inhaler

By Lina Bryce

A 12-year-old girl trusted her instincts to help save another girl’s life, but her instincts would land her a suspension from her school and a month in an alternative school.

Indiyah Rush, is a 7th grade honor roll student who happens to know how frightening an asthma attack might be, being dependent on a rescue inhaler herself.

Tuesday, during gym class at Schrade Middle School in Garland she says she saw the girl with asthma wheezing, gasping for breath during a workout. Indiyah, who plays volleyball and has coped with the disease since she was 5, offered the girl her inhaler.

Her swift action landed the two in the principal’s office. Instead of commending Indiyah for her quick response, to a potentially life-threatening situation, she as given several days of at-home suspension and 30 days of alternative school. Not even a warning about sharing inhalers and a note to mom.

“I mean they punished her twice,” said Monique Rush, Indiyah’s mother. “They suspended her on top of sending her to alternative school. I mean how could you do a kid like that?”

Indiyah’s mother says she was punished twice, but the punishment is much greater. She isn’t in school, she will forever second guess first aid response to an emergency situation; which is far more damaging.

Why the harsh penalty? The district says 30 days at alternative school is an initial automatic punishment for sharing a controlled substance. Someone decided that inhalers would be considered a “prescription drug” or a “controlled substance” and until Indiyah’s incident is heard and all facts are considered before the administration, this is how it will be treated.

This means that Indiyah could potentially face further suspension up to a maximum of 30 days.

A representative for Garland Independent School District didn’t immediately respond to the Daily News’ request for more information on the health condition of Indiyah’s classmate and the possible punishment. Garland ISD spokesman Chris Moore defended the disciplinary measures in an interview with KDFW.

“It’s a prescription, and one student’s severity with asthma may not mirror that of the girl who let the other girl borrow hers,” Moore said. “And that could have resulted in some pretty significant issues.”

This has happening in schools across the country, where students are being harshly punished for having their heart in the right place. An almost identical incident happened in Colorado three years ago, where two students faced expulsion. The schools are handling situations as if they are the court and students are on trial and this should not be. If it is a crime, then it is a criminal matter to be handled by the police. This is clearly a situation where it is understood that there was no malicious intent and can be rectified with–oh, I don’t know–education?

Indiyah’s incident will be reviewed Friday by the administration.

RELATED: Child Denied Inhaler at School During Coughing Fit