Parents say school didn't give child medical attention after 5-year-old broke arm

EDWARDSBURG, Mich. -- Parents of a kindergartner at Edwardsburg Primary School say their child was not given proper medical attention after she broke her arm during recess on Monday. In fact, they say the school never notified them about the injury. And, they say, their 5-year-old never saw a nurse at the school.

“Yeah they’re 5-years-old and 5-year-olds get splinters and blow it out of proportion. But, they’re not your children.” Seabrook Smith, the father of the child, said.

Smith says his daughter fell while playing tag. She was taken to the nurses office, but the nurse was busy and never saw her. Instead, he says a “recess aide” gave the child an ice pack and sent her back.

Smith and his wife didn’t realize anything happened until their daughter got off the bus. He says his daughter’s arm was swollen. She gave them a note from the school explaining she fell, her arm was swollen and the school gave her an ice pack. The Smith’s immediately took their daughter to the hospital where X-rays showed both bones in her lower left arm are broken.

Superintendent Sherman Ostrander tells ABC57 he was notified about the incident this morning. Ostrander says he is conducting an internal investigation to make sure all protocols were followed. He says typically the nurse examines a child and makes decisions about medical care and parent notification.

There is only one RN for the entire district.

The Smiths say they want an RN at every school.

“That’s a broken arm. She’s 5-years-old. A 5-year-old, you make all of the decisions and you treat a sliver as a severe gunshot wound as far as I’m concerned. They’re 5 and they’re not your child. And if that was more than a broken arm? A broken rib? Punctured lung? Maybe internal bleeding? And you look and ‘oh it’s a bump!’” Smith said.