LEWISTON, Maine (AP) A report conducted for a Maine school district has determined that adult chaperones and a lifeguard didn’t see a student struggling in the water and that the only lifeguard was 100 yards away.
The Sun Journal reports the preliminary findings by a law firm hired by the superintendent indicate adult chaperones felt that the lifeguard was slow to respond. The body of 13-year-old Rayan Lewis was ultimately found a half-hour after he went missing.
Lewis was on a trip at Range Pond State Park last Tuesday when he drowned. Officials say the boy had been playing with friends within a buoyed swimming area.
Superintendent Bill Webster prohibited swimming on all school field trips on Tuesday. He said policies and procedures will be updated before the fall.
