Should helping someone else during a time of need in their health result in punishment or make you a hero?
Gateway Middles School seems to think being a hero is not the answer in this instance. In fact, the complete opposite of a hero after ruling Anthony Ruelas guilty for disobeying his teacher. Mandy Cortes is the mother to this 15 year old boy, who attended Gateway Middle School located in Killeen, TX. A young girl in Ruelas’ class suffered from an asthma attack during school.
While the class was very concerned when the student informed them of what was going on, the teacher asked them all to sit tight and stay quiet for the time being. The teacher informed the class she was sending an email to the nurse’s office for guidance.
According to the teacher, Ruelas was disruptive and disobeyed when he decided to take matters into his own hands. The student fell down to the floor gasping for air. Ruelas realized enough is enough after he already watched eternity pass by for the young girl.
He helped her through by bringing her to the nurse’s station for help after telling the teacher there was no time to wait for an email from the nurse.
Ruelas carried his friend to the nurses station at the school to save her life. His teacher had given specific instructions to stay put, but Ruelas made a decision to do otherwise. By ignoring his teachers instruction, he did what he thought was best by helping his friend.
KCEN reported the student struggling to breathe did, in fact, notify her teacher and class of what was going on but the teacher instructed the students to stand down.
Her teacher waited patiently for an email to return from the nurse, but the student was running out of time. Ruelas could not stand watching forever pass by while his friend struggled to breathe. Gagging and wheezing, what a horrible sight.
When the girl fell down to the floor a long few minutes after the teacher gave the instructions, Ruelas went to seek for immediate assistance at the nurse’s station. The teacher put her side of the story in her report, informing about the student complaining she couldn’t breathe.
She also stated the student told her she was having an asthma attack. She then said the student fell to the floor from her chair while she was waiting on a response from the nurse which then resulted into Ruelas’ actions.
The teacher then confirmed Ruelas picked her up after using inappropriate language in the class and carried her to the nurse.
The teacher wrote him up for disobeying her and Killeen Independent School District backed her up in the matter, agreeing to punish Ruelas for his action. Ruelas was suspended for 2 days as the result of saving a life.
When Ruelas found out he was going to be punished at such an extent, he was shocked. He did not believe that the school would suspend him for helping a girl who was struggling to breathe. Cortes, Ruelas’ mother, was disgusted as well.
She vowed at that moment she would rather home school her son than send him back to Gateway Middle School again. Though, with everything else going on, Ruelas was pleased the girl texted, letting him know she was doing well and was going to be fine. Sounds like Ruelas may be a hero after all.
