Two Massachusetts educators have been indicted on multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, following the drowning death of a 12-year-old girl during a school field trip last summer.
According to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, Meghan Braley, 29, and Linda Whitacre, 67, face charges of involuntary manslaughter, permitting serious bodily injury to a child, and reckless endangerment of a child in connection to the July 17, 2024, death of Giver Essien.
Giver was a student at Herberg Middle School and was participating in a summer program field trip organized by Pittsfield Public Schools to Beartown State Forest in Great Barrington. The trip included a swim at Benedict Pond, where the tragedy occurred.
Investigators said the original plan was to allow two small groups of about 15 students each to swim under supervision. But when swimming began around 12:45 p.m., all 35 students entered the water at once.
A photo taken at 12:48 p.m. shows Giver in the pond. According to officials, several students soon reported to Braley that Giver had gone under the water and couldn’t swim.
“These warnings were ignored,” said District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. “Three or four students told Ms. Braley that Giver had gone under. The students say the warning was laughed off. No search was made for her.”
Swimmers began exiting the pond at 1:15 p.m. and boarding the bus. It was then discovered that Giver was missing. A brief search of nearby bathrooms and dressing rooms followed, and Giver’s father was contacted before 911 was called.
“They called me and said, ‘We can’t find her,’” said Richard Essien, Giver’s father. “Then they called again and said, ‘We found her. She was under the water.’ I asked, ‘Why was she even in the water?’ And by then, it was too late.”
Giver’s body was recovered from the pond at 1:58 p.m. The cause of death was ruled a drowning. Her passing came just days before what would have been her 13th birthday.
The DA’s investigation found numerous failures in safety and supervision. Although students were grouped, there was no consistent tracking of who was in the water. No buddy system or roll call was in place, and the children’s swimming abilities were never evaluated. Additionally, no life jackets or floatation devices were made available.
Only one lifeguard was present, who had been informed that only 15 students would be in the water at a time. Allowing all 35 to swim at once should have required two lifeguards, Shugrue said.
“While we don’t believe Braley or Whitacre meant to cause harm, a series of reckless and avoidable failures directly led to the death of a child,” Shugrue stated.
Whitacre is set to be arraigned in July, and Braley is scheduled for August.Tools
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