Middle School Student Dies On Class Field Trip [UPDATE]
Police have identified a 12-year-old boy who died after disappearing under the water during a class field trip.
Lewiston's school superintendent said in a Facebook post that the Lewiston Middle School 7th grader was on a field trip yesterday with his LMS team at Range Pond State Park in Poland. WGME-TV reports13-year-old Rayan A. Issa was playing football in the buoyed swimming area with some friends when he went under the water.
Staffers and lifeguards who were on duty were immediately notified and a search quickly organized, however the murkiness of the water made locating Issa challenging. Firefighters finally found him unconscious. Paramedics used CPR before taking him by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center, where shortly thereafter he was pronounced dead.
Counselors for students and staff will be at the school all day today and beyond, if necessary. School officials say they will be reviewing policies and procedures for outings like this one, but say they had 10 students per staff member and lifeguards on duty at the time of the accident.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office is investigating.