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The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
May 9, 2003, Friday, BC cycle
6:04 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 427 words
BODY:
News in brief from the Philadelphia area
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A ninth-grader with a serious heart condition who was
playing basketball in gym class Thursday collapsed and later died, officials
said.
Robert Scales, 15, of East Germantown, was declared dead at noon at Albert
Einstein Medical Center, where he had been taken after collapsing about 10:30
a.m. at Germantown High School.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Paul G. Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said Scales had
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a chronic condition that affects the heart muscles.
Because of his condition, the teenager was not allowed to take gym or
participate in any physical activity, Vallas said.
Vallas said he was launching an inquiry as to why Scales had been enrolled in
gym class.
Vallas said he wanted to review the medical profile of every student in the
district to make sure other students with similar limitations are not
participating in dangerous activities.
"We need to make sure everyone is following these rules," Vallas said.
LOAD-DATE: May 9, 2003
2 of 2 DOCUMENTS
Copyright 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer
All Rights Reserved
Philadelphia Inquirer
May 9, 2003 Friday CITY-D-EAST EDITION
SECTION: PHILADELPHIA; Pg. B01
LENGTH: 504 words
HEADLINE: City 9th grader collapses in gym, later dies
BYLINE: By Susan Snyder and Thomas J. Gibbons Jr.; Inquirer Staff Writers
BODY:
A Germantown High School ninth grader who had been playing basketball in gym
class yesterday - despite having a longtime serious heart condition - collapsed
and later died, officials said.
Robert Scales, 15, of East Germantown, was declared dead at noon at Albert
Einstein Medical Center, where he had been taken after collapsing about 10:30
a.m. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Paul G. Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said Scales had
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a chronic condition that affects the heart muscles.
Because of his condition, the teenager was not allowed to take gym or
participate in any physical activity, Vallas said in an interview last night.
Vallas said he was launching an inquiry as to why Scales had been enrolled in
gym class and playing basketball.
"Clearly he was active when he should not have been active," Vallas said.
The schools chief - who visited the family at their home last night - said he
also wanted to review the medical profile of every student in the district to
make sure that other youngsters with similar limitations are not participating
in dangerous activities.
"We need to make sure everyone is following these rules," Vallas said.
Scales, who according to Vallas had been prohibited from taking gym since
2000, was playing basketball during a regular gym class yesterday when he
collapsed.
Efforts to reach the teenager's parents last night were unsuccessful.
Teachers, athletic officials and school police quickly cleared about 60
students from the gym while rendering medical help to Scales, said Vincent
Thompson, a district spokesman. Four gym teachers and the school nurse helped in
giving the teen cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and emergency workers arrived
within six minutes of being called.
Scales was pronounced dead about noon.
The death stunned staff and students, some of whom had been in the gym when
Scales collapsed.
"This is a devastating loss to the district and to the Germantown High School
family," Thompson said late yesterday afternoon.
Thompson said Scales - who Vallas said had an older brother at Germantown
High - was "a nice, outgoing, energetic, friendly kid. His classmates really
liked him, and it's going to be hard for them."
The school district last month received a $100,000 donation from the
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association for 73 portable automated external
defibrillators for the city's high schools and gymnasiums. Although some of
those devices have gone out to schools, Germantown did not have one as of
yesterday, Thompson said.
Automated external defibrillators administer an electric charge to the heart,
which can restart and reset heartbeats for people suffering cardiac arrest.
The district provided grief counseling to staff, students and family members,
and plans to do so again today. Members of the school community can call the
district's specialized services at 267-688-6871.
Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or [email protected]
LOAD-DATE: May 9, 2003
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
May 9, 2003, Friday, BC cycle
6:04 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 427 words
BODY:
News in brief from the Philadelphia area
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A ninth-grader with a serious heart condition who was
playing basketball in gym class Thursday collapsed and later died, officials
said.
Robert Scales, 15, of East Germantown, was declared dead at noon at Albert
Einstein Medical Center, where he had been taken after collapsing about 10:30
a.m. at Germantown High School.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
Paul G. Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said Scales had
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a chronic condition that affects the heart muscles.
Because of his condition, the teenager was not allowed to take gym or
participate in any physical activity, Vallas said.
Vallas said he was launching an inquiry as to why Scales had been enrolled in
gym class.
Vallas said he wanted to review the medical profile of every student in the
district to make sure other students with similar limitations are not
participating in dangerous activities.
"We need to make sure everyone is following these rules," Vallas said.
LOAD-DATE: May 9, 2003
2 of 2 DOCUMENTS
Copyright 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer
All Rights Reserved
Philadelphia Inquirer
May 9, 2003 Friday CITY-D-EAST EDITION
SECTION: PHILADELPHIA; Pg. B01
LENGTH: 504 words
HEADLINE: City 9th grader collapses in gym, later dies
BYLINE: By Susan Snyder and Thomas J. Gibbons Jr.; Inquirer Staff Writers
BODY:
A Germantown High School ninth grader who had been playing basketball in gym
class yesterday - despite having a longtime serious heart condition - collapsed
and later died, officials said.
Robert Scales, 15, of East Germantown, was declared dead at noon at Albert
Einstein Medical Center, where he had been taken after collapsing about 10:30
a.m. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Paul G. Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said Scales had
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a chronic condition that affects the heart muscles.
Because of his condition, the teenager was not allowed to take gym or
participate in any physical activity, Vallas said in an interview last night.
Vallas said he was launching an inquiry as to why Scales had been enrolled in
gym class and playing basketball.
"Clearly he was active when he should not have been active," Vallas said.
The schools chief - who visited the family at their home last night - said he
also wanted to review the medical profile of every student in the district to
make sure that other youngsters with similar limitations are not participating
in dangerous activities.
"We need to make sure everyone is following these rules," Vallas said.
Scales, who according to Vallas had been prohibited from taking gym since
2000, was playing basketball during a regular gym class yesterday when he
collapsed.
Efforts to reach the teenager's parents last night were unsuccessful.
Teachers, athletic officials and school police quickly cleared about 60
students from the gym while rendering medical help to Scales, said Vincent
Thompson, a district spokesman. Four gym teachers and the school nurse helped in
giving the teen cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and emergency workers arrived
within six minutes of being called.
Scales was pronounced dead about noon.
The death stunned staff and students, some of whom had been in the gym when
Scales collapsed.
"This is a devastating loss to the district and to the Germantown High School
family," Thompson said late yesterday afternoon.
Thompson said Scales - who Vallas said had an older brother at Germantown
High - was "a nice, outgoing, energetic, friendly kid. His classmates really
liked him, and it's going to be hard for them."
The school district last month received a $100,000 donation from the
Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association for 73 portable automated external
defibrillators for the city's high schools and gymnasiums. Although some of
those devices have gone out to schools, Germantown did not have one as of
yesterday, Thompson said.
Automated external defibrillators administer an electric charge to the heart,
which can restart and reset heartbeats for people suffering cardiac arrest.
The district provided grief counseling to staff, students and family members,
and plans to do so again today. Members of the school community can call the
district's specialized services at 267-688-6871.
Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or [email protected]
LOAD-DATE: May 9, 2003
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