More than a week after an Elite Scholars Academy student died after participating in outdoor athletic drills in extreme heat, the family says it may sue Clayton County Schools to get answers.
Justin Miller, an attorney and spokesman for the family of Imani Bell, said on Wednesday it has been eight days since the 16-year-old’s death and Clayton Schools still have not shed light on the circumstances surrounding her death. The way to get to that may be through a lawsuit, he said.
“All options are on the table,” said Miller, who also is a cousin of Bell’s. “We are thinking about it. We need more facts.”
A spokesman for Clayton Schools declined to discuss the matter, referring back to a release last week in which the district said it would make no statements out of respect for the family.
According to her family, the teen, a basketball player at the Academy, became ill after conditioning drills. After reportedly telling her coach that she was sick, she was told to run up steps. She later collapsed and died.
The family says the school district has not been forthcoming on why students were doing conditioning drills on a day when temperatures were well into the 90s and above. They also want to know more about the coaching staff that day and the county’s policies on exercising in extreme conditions.
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