Isaiah Simmons

Died January 23, 2007

      

  
Isaiah's Mother & daughter

Cause of death: Restrained at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School

Initial reports:

"Four youths who witnessed his death immediately told their lawyers
that they watched Isaiah Simmons suffer an excruciating death. Students
say staff sat on Isaiah for three hours until he passed out and died."

A Maryland senator said that the Juvenile Justice System in their state
"is an embarrassment, it is the worse system we have in our whole
government, and has been for years. It is in need of total overhaul."

Isaiah allegedly acted out in a dinner line and had to be restrained.
The incident occurred during dinnertime around 5 p.m. and officials were
not called until after 8 p.m., over three hours later. Officials have shown
concern as to what happened during that window of time.
 

NEWS ARTICLES / PRESS RELEASE:

4/17/07 -  6 Indicted in Juvenile Offender's Death

3/3/07 -    Closing disappoints school's supporters

3/1/07 -    Nurse reported school's methods

2/27/07 -  Youths held in Md. home unnecessarily

2/24/07 -  Death probe spurs debate Bowling Brook youths not questioned out of school, some say

2/24/07 -  Death Of Prep. School Student Still Not Determined

2/16/07 -  O'Malley backs bill on juvenile staff: Training for private programs would be regulated by the
               state

2/8/07 -   Bill seeks reform of juvenile facilities Legislation would have Md. oversee training in private facilities

2/3/07 -   Review of staff training minimal Workers in private juvenile programs unchecked by state

2/2/07 -   Restraint called common at school Youths describe practices at facility where boy died

2/1/07 -   Students Pulled From School Where Teen Died

1/31/07 - CPR, 911 call for youth were delayed

1/30/07 - Youth restraint challenged Juvenile programs official questions action before teen's death

1/29/07 - Investigators Question Witnesses In School Death View video

1/28/07 - School says staff acted properly in restraining boy who later died

1/28/07 - Witnesses Say Teen Was 'Held Down' In School Death  View Video

1/27/07 - Youth describes struggle with staff

1/27/07 - Press Release Source: Bowling Brook Preparatory School

1/25/07 - Questions Surround Teen's Prep School Death
 

6 Indicted in Juvenile Offender's Death

April 17, 2007
By Ben  Nuckols
The Associated Press

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Six former staff members at a school for juvenile offenders waited 41 minutes before calling 911 about an unresponsive 17-year-old student who died, prosecutors said Tuesday in announcing an indictment against the workers.

"They thought he was faking," State's Attorney Jerry F. Barnes said.

Isaiah Simmons died Jan. 23 while being restrained by staff at Bowling Brook Preparatory School.

Medical examiners ruled Simmons' death a homicide, and the FBI has opened a civil rights investigation. The school has closed, and Simmons' death prompted the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services to reform its crisis intervention policies.

The grand jury declined to indict the six employees on the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter. Steven Heisler, an attorney for Simmons' family, said they disagreed with that decision.

"There's no question that there was reckless endangerment," Heisler said. "However, when reckless behavior results in a death, that is manslaughter."

Charged with reckless endangerment in the indictment returned this week are Michael P. Corradi of Middletown, Pa.; Dennis Harding of Baltimore; Brian G. Kanavy of Mechanicsburg; Jason W. Robinson of Westminster; Shadi Sabbagh of Keymar; and Mark R. Sainato of Keymar.

Messages left with Corradi, Kanavy and Robinson were not immediately returned. Sainato's number was disconnected, and Harding and Sabbagh had unlisted numbers.

Barnes did not release names for any attorneys representing the men.

If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, each could face a maximum of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Brian Hayden, an administrator with nonprofit Bowling Brook, said the school hopes to reopen and fully supports its former employees.

"Hopefully, the truth will bear out through the criminal proceedings and these gentlemen will be found innocent of all charges," he said in a news release.

Bowling Brook was under contract with the state of Maryland to educate boys in trouble with the law. Youths at the residential school, including some from Pennsylvania, were relocated to other schools after it closed.

The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services placed Simmons at the school following a 2006 conviction for robbery with a deadly weapon.

Among the changes since his death, staff at state-owned and private juvenile facilities have been advised that youths should only be restrained if there is an immediate risk of harm, that restraints should last a maximum of 30 minutes, in 15-minute intervals, and that they must be videotaped. Simmons was restrained over a period of several hours.

Medical staff also will have to be consulted in the event of a restraint that lasts 15 minutes, Donald DeVore, Maryland's secretary of juvenile services, said Tuesday.

"These are things that, based on my experience, if they had been in place at the time that Isaiah died, might have saved his life," DeVore said.

DeVore also said that he would not allow staff to use compliance techniques that caused pain.

"There are methods for juveniles that are safe methods of dealing with kids that don't cause pain," he said.

The department also ordered inspections of all juvenile facilities. DeVore said he expects to receive reports from those inspections by next week.

___

On the Net:

Bowling Brook Preparatory School: http://www.bowlingbrookprep.org 

State's Attorney: http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/stateatt/index.html

Closing disappoints school's supporters

March 3, 2007
By Rona Kobell

Bowling Brook Preparatory School was long regarded as a rare gem in Maryland's troubled juvenile justice system, a place that took in delinquent teens and turned them into well-mannered young men.

The residential program for juvenile offenders has been the subject of intense criticism since a youth died there in January, yet some of its supporters were disappointed yesterday to learn that it will close next week.

An emotional Del. Donald B. Elliot, a Republican representing parts of Carroll and Frederick counties, called the closing of Bowling Brook a "sad ending to an outstanding institution."

Even if investigators determine that the death of 17-year-old Isaiah Simmons was caused by "excessive disciplinary practice," Elliot said, he is confident that such behavior was an anomaly at the Carroll County school.

"The school has contributed so much to the community," said Elliot, who expressed hope that Bowling Brook will be able to reopen.

State officials had been investigating practices at Bowling Brook since Simmons died, but many in the community thought its good reputation would help it weather the storm.

Del. Nancy R. Stocksdale, a Westminster Republican who has visited the school many times, said that as recently as last week, Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore talked to her about making changes at the school. But the idea of closing it didn't come up in their meeting, she said.

"The investigation should have revolved around these employees and what they did, and what the kid did to get them to do that," she said. "If you have a murder in a prison, you don't close down the whole prison. You fix the situation."

Stocksdale said the state "jumped ahead" with threats to revoke the school's license under pressure from the state's chief public defender, Nancy Forster, who said in January that she wanted all of the children there removed.

Unlike communities that rally to get juvenile facilities in their midst closed or try to ignore them, Carroll County officials embraced Bowling Brook. Boys from the school picked up trash at festivals, set up tables for corn roasts and served breakfast to raise money for charity.

When Union Bridge, about four miles from the school, held monthly breakfasts to raise money for its new town hall, the Bowling Brook boys helped set up tables and pour orange juice.

A few months ago, when officials paid off the town hall mortgage and decided to stop holding the breakfasts, Bowling Brook asked whether it could host the event to continue to raise money for the town.

The youths assembled a spread with bacon, pancakes, potatoes and eggs, and served it politely, Union Bridge Mayor Bret Grossnickle said.

"I don't know what happened. I wasn't there," Grossnickle said of the incident that led to Simmons' death. "But I know the boys that came were polite, considerate and well-mannered, so they were doing something right."

But many juvenile advocates who once praised Bowling Brook said the school had become a victim of its own success. Because it was well regarded, the state overloaded it, they said, and sometimes sent to it youths who did not fit in well in a cooperative setting that stressed teamwork.

"If the kid fit the mold, it would be a good program," said Stacey Gurian-Sherman, who runs a Montgomery County-based advocacy group for juveniles and their families. But abuse, she said, is never acceptable.

After years of delays in closing troubled institutions under the two previous governors, Gurian-Sherman said she is encouraged that the O'Malley administration took steps that led to the closing of Bowling Brook.

"They have done the right thing," she said. "This is a great indication that the O'Malley administration is going to walk the walk."

Jim McComb, who heads the Maryland Association of Resources for Family and Youth, an association of private service providers, said Bowling Brook had "some outstanding successes" working with some of the toughest teens. But the school grew too large, and that contributed to its problems, he said.

"They redirected the lives of thousands of kids over the years," McComb said. "That does not justify practices that result in children dying."

rona.kobell@baltsun.com Sun reporters Gadi Dechter and Greg Garland contributed to this article.

Nurse reported school's methods

March 1, 2007
By Gadi Dechter and Greg Garland
 

Five months before a student at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School collapsed and died while being restrained by staff, the school's nurse told the Department of Juvenile Services that she was concerned about the safety of youths held there, according to documents obtained by The Sun.

Janis Miller complained in August to the state about the staff's handling of several youths - including one who was badly bruised and scraped while being restrained. Bowling Brook director Michael Sunday later rebuked her for sending the teenager to a hospital emergency room, her written report said.

"My only concern is for the students. ... I could not live with myself if something happened to one of them that could permanently disable them or cost them their life," Miller wrote state officials Aug. 26. "Right now, I feel I am their only advocate."

In an interview, Miller said no state authorities responded to her complaint until the death of Isaiah Simmons, 17, in January.

A spokesman for the Department of Juvenile Services said yesterday that officials at the time regarded Miller's complaints as a "medical management issue," and they concluded the matter was best handled internally by Bowling Brook.

"In hindsight, this should have been given a lot more attention than it was given," said Edward Hopkins, the spokesman.

Steven Heisler, an attorney representing Simmons' family, said they were outraged to learn from a reporter of Miller's unsuccessful efforts to get the state's attention.

"If this is in fact true that the state was warned and failed to take action to investigate and stop these practices, it is reprehensible," Heisler said. "Had they taken action, Isaiah might be alive today."

Sunday and other officials at Bowling Brook did not respond yesterday to requests for comment.

The methods allegedly used to restrain Simmons at Bowling Brook, a privately run residential program for juvenile offenders, have provoked criticism from medical experts.

Witnesses have said they saw staff members sit on the struggling teen until he passed out during a restraint that lasted three hours. In a written statement, Bowling Brook officials denied any improper conduct.

The cause and manner of Simmons' death have not yet been established. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation

Students and former Bowling Brook employees have said it was not unusual for youths to be held to the ground by staff, sometimes for hours, as a way of controlling disruptive behavior or punishing disobedience.

In an interview yesterday, a former Bowling Brook administrator, Maile Barrett, described an incident last year in which she saw a senior counselor sitting atop a prone student and "singing" while other counselors stood around and watched.

Putting pressure on someone's back while holding him facedown can restrict breathing and lead to death by "positional asphyxia," experts say. Bowling Brook officials have "categorically" denied their workers ever sat on students and said counselors use proper restraint techniques.

The Department of Juvenile Services placed Simmons at Bowling Brook two weeks before his death, after a juvenile court found him responsible for a robbery. In February 2006, he used a box cutter to rob another juvenile of a cell phone near the Inner Harbor.

Miller's written complaint offers insight into the management and culture of the once well-regarded residential school in Carroll County.

A licensed practical nurse who has worked at Bowling Brook for four years, Miller said she reported her concerns last summer after consulting with the state's nursing licensing board.

She said she noticed a change in the school's culture in March, after returning from eight weeks off to recuperate from surgery. Staff were more aggressive in confronting youths, she said, and "cursing" at students became commonplace.

Lack of treatment Her complaint to the state details allegations of improper medical treatment, such as students going without prescribed medications for conditions such as diabetes, depression and seizures. But she decided she had to register her concerns with state officials after she saw the injuries a student sustained while being restrained by staff July 16.

"I've been working with restraints for five years before this job, and I never saw a kid look like that before," said Miller, who previously worked at Hoffman Homes for Youth, a psychiatric residential treatment program for children in Pennsylvania. "He looked like he'd been hit by a car."

She said the student, identified in records as Raymond Aur, 17, had "a large abrasion" and yellowish bruise on his face and other bruises on his torso. His body appeared "contorted," with his neck twisted toward one shoulder, according to her report to the state.

The Baltimore teenager has told The Sun that Bowling Brook workers took him outside and, during a lengthy restraint, pressed his face into fresh-cut grass as punishment for talking during a meal. At one point he urinated on himself, he said.

After talking with Maile Barrett, who was her supervisor, Miller said, she called the school's consulting physician. He recommended the youth be taken to the emergency room.

Physicians at Carroll County General Hospital "did not find any facial, cranial or shoulder fracturing of any kind," said Bowling Brook's incident report, written by Barrett.

About two weeks later, Bowling Brook director Sunday called Miller and Barrett into the school's conference room, according to Miller's written complaint to the state. Also present was Brian Hayden, who is listed in tax returns as the treasurer of the nonprofit school's board of directors.

Not 'team player' During the meeting, Miller said, Sunday chastised her and Barrett for insubordination, saying the women had disregarded the consensus of counselors that Aur did not require a hospital visit.

"The team decided that Raymond Aur wasn't going to the ER," Sunday said, according to Miller's report, yet they "sidestepped" other staff and called the doctor.

"We were yelled at for not being team players," Barrett said in an interview.

Barrett was a 10-year veteran of Bowling Brook and the school's compliance officer since 1998 when she quit one week before Simmons' death. She said she left, in part, because Sunday made it clear after the Aur incident that she would not be promoted.

"Once you're labeled not a team player, you might as well kiss your butt goodbye," Barrett said. "I felt like I was being pressured out of the door."

Meanwhile, Miller said, she was haunted by Aur's treatment. "There were sleepless nights," she said, "just worrying about another kid getting hurt."

Miller said she eventually decided to approach authorities with her concerns. On Aug. 22, she called Anne Fox, a manager with the Department of Juvenile Services' medical division, who put nurse manager Kay Schoo on the phone as well.

In the phone call, Miller said, she told Schoo and Fox about the severity of Aur's restraint, about Sunday's reaction and other concerns. Fox instructed Miller to send a report to Schoo's attention documenting her allegations.

Miller did that on Aug. 26, records show. She did not hear back from the state.

"Not a single word," Miller said. "I didn't hear from them again until Isaiah Simmons died. Anne Fox called me the next day and asked me how I was doing."

When she asked Fox why no one had responded to her report, Fox said she was not at liberty to discuss it, Miller said.

Juvenile Services officials declined to make Fox or Schoo available for interviews yesterday.

Since Simmons' death, Miller said, she has been interviewed several times by Jeff Kessler, an investigator with the department's internal investigations unit. When she told Kessler about her complaints against Bowling Brook five months earlier, he said he had not been aware of them, she said.

Miller said she regrets she didn't do more to alert authorities about practices at the school, but she had believed the state would investigate her claims.

"I don't know what else I could have done," she said. "I thought they were taking care of it. They're the ones who were supposed to take care of it."

The state's new Juvenile Services secretary, Donald W. DeVore, agreed the agency should have done more.

"Clearly, this department should be following up and taking action on warnings from health professionals and to fail to do so is unacceptable," De-Vore, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Martin O'Malley last month, said in a statement. "We will not let warnings about the safety of children in our care just slip through the cracks."

gadi.dechter@baltsun.com, greg.garland@baltsun.com 

Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun | Get Sun home delivery

Youths held in Md. home unnecessarily

February 27, 2007
By Brian Witte

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice has been asked to explain why it was holding 46 youths at a residential program for juvenile offenders when it determined -- after a youth died -- that they could be released to the community, an analyst told lawmakers Monday.

Simon Powell, an analyst for the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, said the decision to release the youths from Bowling Brook Preparatory School "kind of begs the question" that if the incident had not happened "whether these kids would still be at that facility -- even though DJS believed that they could be placed in the community with appropriate services."

If the incident had not happened, Powell said: "I would wager all those kids would still be at Bowling Brook."

Powell conducted a review of the youths' placements after the death of 17-year-old Isaiah Simmons, who died in a struggle with staff members at Bowling Brook, a private Carroll County school under contract with the state.

Simmons died Jan. 23, and the incident is under investigation by the Carroll County Police Department. Powell did not provide any additional details about the investigation. Staff involved in restraining Simmons were placed on administrative leave.

Out of 66 youths, Powell found that 46, or 70 percent, were recommended for placement at home after the incident. Most of them required aftercare services, but some were simply released. Twenty of the youths, or 30 percent, were recommended for subsequent residential placement.

Powell's analysis was presented at a time when lawmakers are focusing on the long-troubled agency and its budget.

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Death probe spurs debate Bowling Brook youths not questioned out of school, some say

February 24, 2007
By Gadi Dechter and Greg Garland

A month after a youth died while being restrained at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School, authorities have not determined what caused his death or whether any laws were broken in the way the juvenile facility's staff handled him.

Though investigators say dozens of people have been interviewed, key student eyewitnesses to Isaiah Simmons' death have not been contacted by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office since the youths were removed from the residential program, according to students and their families.

Investigators from different agencies did question the students in interviews at Bowling Brook immediately after Simmons' death Jan. 23, officials have said.

But experts say the youths should have been interviewed again -- in a different setting and away from the school's staff -- after the juvenile court ordered their removal from the facility.

"The first time, they may have felt constrained to say anything because of fear of retaliation," said Timothy T. Williams Jr., a retired Los Angeles homicide detective who runs a private investigation firm. "I would interview them after they'd been removed."

A spokesman for the sheriff's office said the agency has conducted more than 40 interviews, including many with students, but he declined to say where or provide other details.

"Who was interviewed and what was discussed, I don't know and wouldn't be able to tell you if I did know," said Lt. Phil Kasten, the spokesman.

He said the sheriff's office "has applied the greatest resources and tenacity toward the investigation" while waiting for a report from the state medical examiner on the cause of Simmons's death. "This investigation will take as long as necessary, and that could easily be a couple of more weeks," Kasten said.

The methods allegedly used to restrain Simmons at Bowling Brook, a privately run residential program for juvenile offenders, have provoked criticism from medical experts and national authorities on safe ways to subdue unruly youths.

Witnesses have said they saw Bowling Brook staff members sit on the struggling teen until he passed out. In a written statement, Bowling Brook officials have denied any improper conduct. The school's own account of the incident, contained in a required report to the state, describes a three-hour confrontation involving physical restraint that ended when the East Baltimore youth lost consciousness.

Simmons was pronounced dead at Carroll Hospital Center. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation.

Ronnell Williams is one of several youths who discussed the incident with The Sun after he was removed from Bowling Brook at his lawyers' request. He described in graphic terms watching Simmons lose consciousness after staff sat on him. "He told them he was hurting, he told them he couldn't breathe," Williams said. "Didn't nobody want to believe him."

Williams said that before being released from the school, students "were afraid to talk" to authorities, fearing retaliation from Bowling Brook staff. In the month since a judge ordered him removed from the school, Williams has not been contacted by sheriff's deputies or state police, his mother said yesterday.

Giovanni El-Shird, 18, who witnessed part of Simmons' three-hour struggle with Bowling Brook staff, said he hasn't been contacted by investigators since returning to Baltimore, either. The mother of a third student who saw Simmons being restrained also said her son hasn't been interviewed since leaving Bowling Brook.

Maryland Public Defender Nancy S. Forster issued a statement yesterday expressing confidence "that the sheriff's department and Maryland State Police will interview our clients in a confidential setting away from Bowling Brook."

Though some experts said the youths should have been interviewed again after they left the school, others said the initial interviews might have yielded sufficient information.

"Sometimes you're going to get the best information right after the incident went down," said John L. Sullivan, former chief of detectives for the Las Vegas Police Department.

A preliminary review by the medical examiner found no "apparent trauma" to Simmons' body.

After the medical examiner issues its final report and sheriff's deputies conclude their investigation, the case will go to David P. Daggett, chief deputy state's attorney in Carroll County.

"We would look at all of the facts," Daggett said.

If there are conflicting facts, the matter could be presented to a grand jury to decide whether an indictment is warranted, Daggett said.

Bowling Brook officials said they would like to comment but have been advised by their attorneys not to do so. It is clear that Simmons' death has taken a toll on the school.

The school was housing 170 juvenile offenders at the time of Simmons' death. But the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services has removed all but nine of the 74 youths it had placed there. Other states have also pulled youths out.

A juvenile services spokesman said the school, which is licensed by DJS, had about 70 students as of this week. All Bowling Brook staff members involved in restraining Simmons have been placed on administrative leave, said Edward Hopkins, the spokesman.

Bowling Brook is well-regarded by many in Carroll County, and youths from the school frequently are involved in civic activities.

Nancy B. McCormick, economic development director of Taneytown and a strong supporter of Bowling Brook's program, said the school and its students are one of the nominees for the county's philanthropist of the year award next month.

gadi.dechter@baltsun.com
greg.garland@baltsun.com

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(WJZ/AP) KEYMAR, Md. Growing fallout after the mysterious death of a teenage boy at a Carroll County private school.

State leaders are trying to find out what led to the death of Isaiah Simmons.

Kai Jackson explains dozens of students are no longer at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School.

Ed Hopkins from Carroll County Department of Juvenile Services says, "Now the request to have the juveniles removed from the facility is coming from their individual council, whether it be a private attorney or public defender."

Before Simmons died, 73 students attended Bowling Brook. That number has dropped to 25.

Simmons was pronounced dead at Carroll Hospital Center last week after staff at Bowling Brook Preparatory School, about 40 miles northwest of Baltimore, placed him in physical restraints during a confrontation.

The death is being investigated by the Carroll County's sheriff's department amid allegations from some witnesses that staff restrained Simmons inappropriately.

The report, released Tuesday, provided the school's first detailed description of the Jan. 23 incident. Posted below is a copy of the report:



The school also issued a statement about their policy concerning student restraint policies. Click here to read the full statement.

School officials told investigators Simmons became enraged for no apparent reason and was restrained after threatening to harm other students and staff. He lost consciousness as he struggled with staff members, the sheriff's office said last week in a statement.

Investigators who arrived at the scene found paramedics treating Simmons for cardiac arrest.

A preliminary examination by the state medical examiner's office did not reveal any apparent trauma that may have led to Simmons' death. Blood and drug tests ordered by investigators are expected to take several weeks to complete, the sheriff's office said.

The Department of Juvenile Services placed Simmons at the residential school following a 2006 conviction for robbery with a deadly weapon, the sheriff's office said.

The school said staffers first tried to calm the situation verbally, but when he continued to struggle restrained him in a sitting position and finally in a prone position.

After an unspecified period of time, the report says, "Simmons stopped struggling and became non-responsive."

"Actions of all staff were in compliance with Bowling Brook policies. Staff followed procedures in dealing with unfortunate medical emergency," the report concludes.

Some students who witnessed the struggle saw it differently. Bowling Brook's report provides the first detailed description by the school of the Jan. 23 incident that ended with Simmons' death.

It differs significantly in tone from the vivid account given by Ronnell Williams, 18, one of at least six Bowling Brook students who witnessed the incident.

"They grabbed (Simmons) and slammed his ass down," Ronnell Williams said. "He was face down, eagle-spread, his arms was out and his legs, too," he said. "There were five staff. One on each leg, one on each arm, and one had his knees on (Simmons') back."

"He told them he was hurting," Williams said. "He told them he couldn't breathe. Nobody wanted to believe him."

At least three other student eyewitnesses have given similar accounts to their lawyers, including statements that staff "sat on" Simmons as they restrained him, according to the Maryland public defender's office.

 

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )

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CPR, 911 call for youth were delayed

January 31, 2007
By Gadi Dechter and Greg Garland

Bowling Brook staff believed boy feigned sleep while unconscious, school reports

When a youth at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School lost consciousness last week while being restrained by staff, workers delayed administering CPR or calling for an ambulance because they believed he was pretending to be asleep, according to a report sent by the school to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

When the paramedics were finally summoned, 17-year-old Isaiah Simmons was rushed to Carroll Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Bowling Brook's account of the efforts by staff to restrain Simmons for at least three hours is contained in a required report to the juvenile services agency, which placed Simmons in the residential program for juvenile offenders. The report, released yesterday, describes in clinical terms the hours of restraint and what happened when Simmons lost consciousness.

" [In] time, [Simmons] stopped struggling and became nonresponsive," the report says. "The collective thinking of intervening staff and students was that [Simmons] was feigning sleep.

"[Simmons] was then raised from the prone position to the seated and brought outside, for staff to assess and check vital signs. Within minutes, [Simmons] was returned back in to the house for staff to administer CPR as the ambulance was simultaneously called."

Medical experts say it can be dangerous to delay even for few minutes beginning cardiopulmonary resuscitation or calling an ambulance.

"It's been well documented that the sooner you start CPR, the better the chances are that patients will survive," Eric J. Beauvois, an emergency room physician at St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore, said yesterday. "The sooner you can get the paramedics involved and the sooner you can get the patient in the hospital, the better. All those will increase your chance of resuscitation. A matter of minutes can make a difference."

Bowling Brook's report provides the first detailed description by the school of the Jan. 23 incident that ended with Simmons' death. It differs significantly in tone from the vivid account given by Ronnell Williams, 18, one of at least six Bowling Brook students who witnessed the incident.

"They grabbed [Simmons] and slammed his ass down," Williams said yesterday in an interview. "He was face down ... eagle-spread, his arms was out and his legs, too," he said. "There were five staff. One on each leg, one on each arm, and one had his knees on [Simmons'] back."

"He told them he was hurting," Williams said. "He told them he couldn't breathe. Nobody wanted to believe him."

At least three other student eyewitnesses have given similar accounts to their lawyers, including statements that staff "sat on" Simmons as they restrained him, according to the Maryland public defender's office.

Bowling Brook, through its public relations agency, released a statement last night expressing confidence that the Carroll County sheriff's investigation into the death "will reveal that Bowling Brook's procedures were appropriate, that our staff acted in accordance with our procedures and in a manner consistent with Maryland law."

In response to allegations that staff have restrained students by sitting or kneeling on them, the school "categorically" denied that workers ever sat or knelt on the "head or torso" of Isaiah Simmons. The statement did not address allegations that staff sat on Simmons' back, as Williams and others have claimed.

School officials said that their staff training program meets or exceeds legal requirements in Maryland, including in the use of physical restraint, and that the "vast majority" of staff have four-year college degrees. The counselors involved in the incident with Simmons were "senior staff of the highest caliber with advanced training," the statement said.

While the state medical examiner has not determined the cause of Simmons' death, one medical authority says it appears to fit the general pattern for what is known as "positional asphyxia."

That can occur when a person is being restrained after a period of intense physical exertion, and is positioned on his stomach with weight applied to the back, said Harry J. MacDannald, a pulmonary and critical care physician at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, Calif.

"What happens is when individuals struggle for long periods of time, their muscles become fatigued," said MacDannald, who has studied positional asphyxia. "They get respiratory muscle fatigue. If they are then placed face down, when the person breathes, their chest is compressed. It takes even more work to breathe under those circumstances. Eventually, they just stop breathing."

Authorities yesterday continued to remove students from Bowling Brook, for decades a well-regarded residential program outside Westminster. As of yesterday, 15 of 72 young offenders placed there by the Department of Juvenile Services had been removed from the school, said Edward Hopkins, a department spokesman. All but one of the 15 were sent home to parents or guardians, he said.

Many of the youths were removed at the request of their lawyers in the Maryland public defender's office.

In Annapolis, youth advocates and a deputy public defender urged the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to expand the state's supervision of privately run programs such as Bowling Brook by giving the state's independent monitor authority to oversee their operations. State Sen. Bobby A. Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat, said he planned to introduce legislation today that would give the independent monitor that authority.

Simmons was the first youth in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Services to die since 2001, when a girl committed suicide at another center. The department placed Simmons at Bowling Brook after he was found responsible in juvenile court for an armed robbery.

The Department of Juvenile Services released Bowling Brook's written account of the hours before Simmons' death in response to a request by The Sun.

The school's report says the confrontation and prolonged physical restraint started at 4:45 p.m. and ended when an ambulance was called more than three hours later, at 8:15 p.m.

The incident began when a school counselor overheard Simmons say he would "spaz out" if staff confronted him, the report says.

A Bowling Brook staff member questioned Simmons about that statement. Simmons responded by threatening to fight or even "shoot" another student, according to the report.

Believing that Simmons' comments and body language were potentially "explosive," staff tried to calm the situation by using techniques described in the report only as "touch, proximity, and other para-verbal methods of de-escalation." The youth was then restrained in a seated position.

When Simmons continued to resist, more staff members and several students joined in the restraining efforts. Four staff members then "rolled" Simmons into a "more restricted prone position," according to the school's account.

Because Simmons continued threatening to hurt others and himself, he was moved to another part of the school to "redirect the dynamic of the interaction." There, in the presence of several other students, Simmons continued to struggle and threatened "to urinate and defecate."

Simmons then began to cooperate, the report says, though he was still in the "restraint position." When one staffer tried to engage him in conversation, the teenager spoke of his 22-month -old daughter and of his absent father. But he later resumed struggling and making threats.

After an unspecified period of time, the report says, "Simmons stopped struggling and became non-responsive."

The school's report draws this conclusion: "Actions of all staff were in compliance with Bowling Brook policies. Staff followed procedures in dealing with unfortunate medical emergency."

One of the staff members who called 911 told the dispatcher that nothing was unusual in the way workers restrained Simmons.

"We're trained in that," the worker said, according to tape of the 911 call released by Carroll County authorities. "It was the same thing we do all the time when we have an aggressive kid. I don't know what happened. He was in a restraint, and then he stopped responding."

gadi.dechter@baltsun.com
greg.garland@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Laura McCandlish contributed to this article.

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Youth restraint challenged Juvenile programs official questions action before teen's death

January 30, 2007
By Greg Garland sun reporter

The head of a Maryland association of juvenile programs said yesterday it would be "indefensible" for staff to sit on a struggling youth for three hours to restrain him - something at least four youths have told their lawyers happened last week in the death of a teenage boy at Bowling Brook Preparatory School.

But Jim McComb, executive director of the Maryland Association of Resources for Family and Youth, said it isn't clear that such behavior by staff at Bowling Brook - a private residential program for juvenile offenders - would have violated state law.

"We have regulations that prescribe what is doable and not doable in every private and public school, and in treatment centers for children with mental and emotional problems. But we don't have anything comparable for children's residential programs," McComb said.

The death of Isaiah Simmons, 17, after being restrained by staff at Bowling Brook has raised questions about state law governing privately run facilities, the training required of their staff and the way the state monitors and regulates such programs. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death.

Maryland Public Defender Nancy Forster said at least four youths have independently told lawyers in her office that they watched staff members sit on Simmons for three hours last Tuesday until he passed out and died.

At an emergency hearing Friday, a Baltimore judge ordered three city youths removed from Bowling Brook. Similar motions have been filed in several other counties.

Bowling Brook officials have said in a statement that Simmons' "aggressive behavior continued over a period of time during which he was restrained humanely consistent with state-approved discipline policies."

McComb said no state law prohibits the state or a private facility like Bowling Brook from restraining an unruly youth but that it should be done in a reasonable manner.

"Nobody could possibly defend sitting on a kid for three hours," McComb said. "If that's what happened, it's indefensible."

Edward Hopkins, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, said state law prohibits physically restraining a youth "except when failure to do so would result in harm to others or to the child."

However, Hopkins added, "It's not clearly defined in the law what is an acceptable means of restraint. ... Three hours, on its face, does appear to be unreasonable. But we were not there to witness the event and do not know all of the facts and circumstances."

The Department of Juvenile Services placed Simmons at Bowling Brook after he was effectively found guilty in juvenile court of armed robbery.

There are no national standards for qualifications or recommended training for youth workers at juvenile facilities. Minimum education standards, restraining methods and the type and length of training of youth supervisors are all left to state governments.

In Maryland, a high school diploma or its equivalent is all that is required for direct care youth workers, who get salaries that start just under $30,000, Hopkins said.

He said all staff assigned to state-run facilities must undergo six weeks of training, under similar standards to those used for police and correctional officers.

In contrast, only 40 hours of training are required for staff in privately run juvenile programs like Bowling Brook, Hopkins said.

He did not have details about just what kind of training is required for staff at Bowling Brook. A spokesman for Bowling Brook said no one was available yesterday to discuss the issue.

Bowling Brook currently houses 170 youths from several states - 73 referred there by Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services. But it is licensed by the state as a "group home" rather than a "secure care" facility.

State law requires that secure care programs have written policies about how to restrain a youth. It also requires annual staff training and "prohibits the use of restraint in any manner that causes the child physical pain or undue anxiety."

No such language is in state laws governing group homes.

Bruce Chapman, founder of a behavior management program used by juvenile systems in Virginia and several other states, said caution must be exercised when restraining a youth.

"The one thing you don't want to do when restraining a kid is to put too much weight on him," he said. "There are two ways for certain death - and that's one of them."

Delaware requires anyone who works directly with juveniles in a secure facility to have a bachelor's degree as well as additional training. Delaware strengthened its training requirements in response to problems at its main juvenile facility, the Ferris School.

"A college degree doesn't solve all the problems of the world, but it gives a stronger foundation," said Dianne Gadow, a former superintendent at the school who is credited with turning it around. Gadow moved to Arizona in 2004 to become that state's deputy director of the Department of Juvenile Corrections.

She said juvenile administrators need to constantly offer more training because those in their care have complex problems.

"The kind of kids that are coming in our system are a lot more damaged and have a lot more substance abuse problems," she said.

In Missouri, where state-run juvenile programs have become a national model, state policy requires a college degree or four years combined of college classes and relevant experience.

Once hired, youth specialists undergo a year of intense training - nearly 70 hours of courses in group therapy and family dynamics, physical crisis intervention and communication, according to Tim Decker, director of Missouri's youth services division.

That's in addition to the more than 40 hours of supervised observation before they can work alone with the youths. The department requires an additional 40 hours of training each year, Decker said.

He said he couldn't recall an instance in which a young offender died in custody, and said it would be unlikely to happen.

"Where you run into problems is when one person tries to restrain someone. It's difficult do that in a very safe way," Decker said. "To me, that's a set-up for problems right there. Think of the force - it almost has to be a struggle."

greg.garland@baltsun.com
Sun reporters Gadi Dechter, Rona Kobell and Todd Richissin contributed to this article.

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wjz13.com

Investigators Question Witnesses In School Death

January 29, 2007
Mike Hellgren Reporting

View video

(WJZ/AP) CARROLL COUNTY, Md. At least four youths at a private residential school for juvenile offenders have independently told their lawyers that they watched as Isaiah Simmons suffered an excruciating death at the Carroll County facility, Maryland's chief public defender said.

As WJZ's Mike Hellgren reports, Simmons, 17, died Tuesday during a struggle with staff at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School.

According to chief public defender Nancy Forster, youths at Bowling Brook watched as staffers sat on Simmons for three hours until he passed out and died. One youth, Ronnell Williams, confirmed that account to The (Baltimore) Sun Friday evening.

"Four or five guys" held Simmons to the ground for more than two hours, and Simmons cried out several times that he couldn't breathe, Williams told The Sun. "We watched a guy die."

Baltimore Circuit Judge Edward R.K. Hargadon ordered Williams released into his mother's custody late Friday. Two other youths were also ordered removed from Bowling Brook in response to an emergency request by public defenders.

The emergency hearings will continue next week across the state, said Foster, who wants all of her office's clients at the school to have their cases reviewed in juvenile court. "We want our children out of there," she said.

The death of Simmons, 17, remains under investigation by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. According to the office, staff at Bowling Brook said Simmons collapsed Tuesday evening while being restrained after an outburst. It was the first death of a youth in the custody of juvenile services since 2001.

Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services has a contract with Bowling Brook to educate juveniles in trouble with the law. Of the 170 students at the school on Tuesday, 74 were sent there by the department, said Edward Hopkins, a juvenile services spokesman.

Department of Juvenile Services staffers are providing indefinite 24-hour supervision inside the school, Hopkins said.

Simmons was in the department's custody after a juvenile court effectively found him guilty of armed robbery. He had entered Bowling Brook two weeks before his death.

Williams told The Sun that Simmons was having a hard time adjusting to the program. On Tuesday afternoon, Simmons said, "I'm going to spaz out," and had a disobedient outburst before school counselors, according to Williams. "He couldn't deal with the pressure," Williams said.

Bowling Brook has been in operation for decades and has drawn few complaints from youth advocates, who expressed surprise at Simmons' death. "My experience with Bowling Brook had always been that it's a great program," said Susan B. Leviton, who directs the juvenile law clinic at the University of Maryland. "When you (visited) Bowling Brook, every kid was involved in sports, they were going to school, they were keeping facilities clean. It was a very active and engaged place."

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School says staff acted properly in restraining boy who later died

January 28, 2007

Bowling Brook Preparatory School officials said yesterday that its staff "followed all appropriate restrictive procedures" in handling Isaiah Simmons III, 17, who died after reportedly losing consciousness while being restrained by staff last week at the private residential center for juveniles.

"When Isaiah became threatening, our staff responded for his safety and the safety of others," said a statement by the school yesterday, the first public comment by the Carroll County facility since Simmons' death Tuesday.

"Isaiah's aggressive behavior continued over a period of time during which he was restrained humanely consistent with state-approved discipline policies and counseled throughout to de-escalate the crisis," the statement said.

The Baltimore law firm of Steven H. Heisler has begun investigating the death - the first of a youth in the custody of Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services since 2001 - on behalf of Simmons' family, the law firm said yesterday.

The Bowling Brook statement expressed condolences to Simmons' family but added, "We do not know what caused Isaiah's death." School officials said they are cooperating with the investigation by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and asked "that everyone affected refrain from further speculation until officials investigating have been able to more thoroughly determine the facts."

The statement comes one day after Maryland's chief public defender said that at least four youths at Bowling Brook told lawyers that they personally witnessed staff members sitting on a struggling Simmons for three hours until he passed out and died.

Simmons' family has said the East Baltimore youth had no medical conditions.

[Gadi Dechter]

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Witnesses Say Teen Was 'Held Down' In School Death

January 28, 2007

   View Video

(AP) CARROLL COUNTY, Md. At least four youths at a private residential school for juvenile offenders have independently told their lawyers that they watched as Isaiah Simmons suffered an excruciating death at the Carroll County facility, Maryland's chief public defender said.

Simmons, 17, died Tuesday during a struggle with staff at the Bowling Brook Preparatory School.
 

According to chief public defender Nancy Forster, youths at Bowling Brook watched as staffers sat on Simmons for three hours until he passed out and died. One youth, Ronnell Williams, confirmed that account to The (Baltimore) Sun Friday evening.

"Four or five guys" held Simmons to the ground for more than two hours, and Simmons cried out several times that he couldn't breathe, Williams told The Sun. "We watched a guy die."

Baltimore Circuit Judge Edward R.K. Hargadon ordered Williams released into his mother's custody late Friday. Two other youths were also ordered removed from Bowling Brook in response to an emergency request by public defenders.

The emergency hearings will continue next week across the state, said Foster, who wants all of her office's clients at the school to have their cases reviewed in juvenile court. "We want our children out of there," she said.

The death of Simmons, 17, remains under investigation by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. According to the office, staff at Bowling Brook said Simmons collapsed Tuesday evening while being restrained after an outburst. It was the first death of a youth in the custody of juvenile services since 2001.

Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services has a contract with Bowling Brook to educate juveniles in trouble with the law. Of the 170 students at the school on Tuesday, 74 were sent there by the department, said Edward Hopkins, a juvenile services spokesman.

Department of Juvenile Services staffers are providing indefinite 24-hour supervision inside the school, Hopkins said.

Simmons was in the department's custody after a juvenile court effectively found him guilty of armed robbery. He had entered Bowling Brook two weeks before his death.

Williams told The Sun that Simmons was having a hard time adjusting to the program. On Tuesday afternoon, Simmons said, "I'm going to spaz out," and had a disobedient outburst before school counselors, according to Williams. "He couldn't deal with the pressure," Williams said.

Bowling Brook has been in operation for decades and has drawn few complaints from youth advocates, who expressed surprise at Simmons' death. "My experience with Bowling Brook had always been that it's a great program," said Susan B. Leviton, who directs the juvenile law clinic at the University of Maryland. "When you (visited) Bowling Brook, every kid was involved in sports, they were going to school, they were keeping facilities clean. It was a very active and engaged place."

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Youth describes struggle with staff

January 27, 2007
By Gadi Dechter

Judge orders 3 removed from juvenile facility after teen being restrained dies

At least four youths at a private residential program for juvenile offenders have independently told their lawyers that they witnessed staff members sit on a struggling Isaiah Simmons for three hours Tuesday until he passed out and died, Maryland's chief public defender said last night.

The statement by Nancy Forster came after a Baltimore judge ordered three city youths removed from the Bowling Brook Preparatory School in response to an emergency request by public defenders. The emergency hearings will continue next week across the state, Forster said, until all of her office's clients at the school have had their cases reviewed by a juvenile court.

"We want our children out of there," she said.

In three hearings that lasted until 7:30 p.m. yesterday, Baltimore Circuit Judge Edward R.K. Hargadon released one youth, remanded one to house arrest and sent the third for a brief stay at the Maryland Youth Residence Center, a juvenile shelter in Baltimore.

The youth who was released, Ronnell Williams, 18, told The Sun that he and other students watched as "four or five guys" held Simmons to the ground for more than two hours Tuesday. During that time, Williams said, Simmons cried out several times that he couldn't breathe.

"We watched a guy die," Williams said after he was released into his mother's custody.

Hargadon, who is in charge of the city's juvenile court, will hear removal petitions Thursday on behalf of 13 other city youths at Bowling Brook, Forster said.

Of the 170 students at Bowling Brook on Tuesday, 74 were sent there by Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services, which has a contract with the private school in Carroll County, according to a department spokesman. The spokesman, Edward Hopkins, said the department did not know where it could place all those youngsters if they are ordered out of Bowling Brook.

Sheriff's deputies are continuing to investigate the death of Simmons, 17. According to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, staff at Bowling Brook said Simmons collapsed Tuesday evening while being restrained after an outburst in which he threatened to harm other students and school personnel. It was the first death of a youth in the custody of juvenile services since 2001.

The Department of Juvenile Services has dispatched staff to provide indefinite 24-hour supervision inside the school, Hopkins said yesterday. Bowling Brook has been in operation for decades and has enjoyed a positive reputation among youth advocates.

School officials did not respond to requests for comment yesterday.

Williams said that Simmons was having a hard time adjusting to the program, which he had entered two weeks before his death. He was in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Services after a juvenile court effectively found him guilty of armed robbery.

According to Williams' account, Simmons told him Tuesday afternoon, "I'm gonna spaz out," and then had a disobedient outburst before school counselors.

"He couldn't deal with the pressure," said Williams, who spent about a year at Bowling Brook.

Simmons had been physically restrained by staff once before, on Jan. 10, according to a "use of force" report provided by Bowling Brook to the Department of Juvenile Services. Though the report was not sent to the department until Jan. 16, it would not have caused alarm among department officials, Hopkins said.

In 2006, school personnel made nearly 50 such reports to juvenile services, according to records provided by the department. Of those, three included "minor injuries" to the faces of the restrained youths.

In the three emergency hearings yesterday, prosecutors did not object to the removal of the students from the school, and the death of Simmons was not explicitly mentioned.

During the third hearing, defense attorney Deborah St. Jean alluded to a "sidebar" discussion with Hargadon in which, she said, the judge ruled that discussion of Simmons' death would not be admissible.

Youth advocates in the state have expressed surprise that a young man died at Bowling Brook. "My experience with Bowling Brook had always been that it's a great program," Susan B. Leviton, who directs the juvenile law clinic at the University of Maryland, said yesterday.

"When you [visited] Bowling Brook, every kid was involved in sports, they were going to school, they were keeping facilities clean. It was a very active and engaged place." Leviton said.

gadi.dechter@baltsun.com

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Press Release Source: Bowling Brook Preparatory School

January 27, 2007

Statement by Bowling Brook Preparatory School On the Death of Isaiah Simmons III on Saturday January 27, 11:46 am ET:

KEYMAR, Md., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- We are deeply saddened at the loss of Isaiah Simmons III and are grieving for him and his family during this difficult period. Although we do not know what caused Isaiah's death, we know the staff working with Isaiah and involved in his restraint are of the highest caliber and followed all appropriate restrictive procedures for the situation. When Isaiah became threatening, our staff responded for his safety and the safety of others. Isaiah's aggressive behavior continued over a period of time during which he was restrained humanely consistent with state-approved discipline policies and counseled throughout to de-escalate the crisis. From the time of our founding 50 years ago, Bowling Brook Preparatory School has established an exemplary record of helping to turn young lives around and are proud of the many who have gone on to be productive members of society. We are cooperating fully with all authorities and ask that everyone affected refrain from further speculation until officials investigating have been able to more thoroughly determine the facts.

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wjz13

Questions Surround Teen's Prep School Death

January 25, 2007
Suzanne Collins Reporting

(WJZ/AP) Carroll County, MD A Baltimore teen died in a struggle with staff members two weeks after arriving at private Carroll County school under contract with the state to educate juveniles in trouble with the law, the student's mother said Wednesday.

WJZ's Suzanne Collins talked to Felicia Wilson who said she last saw her 17-year-old son, Isaiah Simmons III, during a visit Saturday to Bowling Brook Preparatory School in Keymar. Police came to her house early Wednesday and told her to call school officials.

"The school told me Isaiah was dead," Wilson said. "They said they put him in a restraint and he stopped breathing."

Gov. Martin O'Malley issued a statement Wednesday describing the death as a tragedy that highlighted the need for reform of services regulated by the state Department of Juvenile Services, which contracts with institutions such as Bowling Brook.

School officials told investigators Simmons became enraged Tuesday for no apparent reason and was restrained after threatening to harm other students and staff. He lost consciousness as he struggled with staff members, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Investigators who arrived at the scene found paramedics treating Simmons for cardiac arrest.

A preliminary examination by the state medical examiner's office did not reveal any apparent trauma that may have led to Simmons' death. Blood and drug tests ordered by investigators are expected to take several weeks to complete, the sheriff's office said.

Wilson said her son was healthy and did not have any medical conditions.

The Department of Juvenile Services placed Simmons at the residential school following a 2006 conviction for robbery with a deadly weapon, the sheriff's office said. Keymar is 40 miles northwest of Baltimore.

Simmons, who was under the custody of the school rather than the state agency, first became agitated about 5 p.m. Tuesday and was transported to the Carroll Hospital Center about 8 p.m., school officials told DJS officials, said Ed Hopkins, a DJS spokesman.

"Bowling Brook told us the child became agitated and restraint was used in order to defuse the situation. To what extent and what type of technique was used, I don't know," Hopkins said.

"I can't explain the three-hour window -- what happened during that period," he added.

The school's license was issued last January and comes up for renewal next January, Hopkins said. A random spot check was conducted earlier this month and "there was nothing out of the ordinary," Hopkins said.

Bowling Brook is private, group oriented residential school for young men committed by the courts, according to its Web site. It is licensed for 173 students.

The school did not return a phone call for comment.

O'Malley issued a statement Wednesday describing the death as a "horrible tragedy." "My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this young man," the governor said, adding he had spoken to the student's family to express his condolences.

O'Malley said his chief of staff and deputy chief of staff visited the school early Wednesday and he directed DJS personnel and Maryland State Police to work with the sheriff's office on the investigation.

"Children in state custody should be safe from harm, and last night's death reminds us of the work that needs to be done to reform our Department of Juvenile Services," the governor said.

In a similar incident in 2001, a 17-year-old student at a special education school in Prince George's County went into cardiac arrest and died after a struggle involving a staff member.

Simmons was a pleasant young man who liked to play football, basketball and video games, his mother said. He was very good with his daughter, and he liked to make people laugh, she said, adding that "he was a good kid who got into trouble."

Wilson said her concern now is "getting my son's body from the coroner's office and finding out who's going to pay for the funeral."

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Student dies at Marilyn residential school

January 25, 2007

BALTIMORE The mother of a Baltimore teen-ager attending a school for troubled juveniles says her son died in a struggle with staffers.

Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Simmons arrived two weeks ago at the private school in Maryland's Carroll County. The school is under contract with the state to educate juveniles in trouble with the law.

Simmons' mother, Felicia Wilson, says school officials told her that her son stopped breathing Tuesday after staffers had put him in a restraint. They say he had suddenly become enraged and was a danger to other students and to staffers. The sheriff's office says he lost consciousness as he struggled with staff members.

The governor calls the death a tragedy and says it highlights the need for reform in areas regulated by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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