A staff member who was supervising when a 5-year-old North Side girl was burned in her kindergarten classroom has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation by Pittsburgh Public Schools, a district spokeswoman said Thursday.
Spokeswoman Ebony Pugh wouldn’t provide more details because it’s a personnel matter.
The girl’s family has retained Downtown attorney Todd J. Hollis, who said he’s looking into what happened and trying to ensure the girl receives the medical care she needs.
The girl was burned Tuesday during a science experiment in the classroom at King PreK-8 on the North Side and she suffered burns on her chest and neck, Hollis said.
The girl’s aunt was called to the school and followed an ambulance to the hospital where the girl was treated and released, Hollis said.
The family and Hollis are awaiting more information from the district about what happened, Hollis said.
“We have to determine what the facts are before we make a conclusion about how we proceed,” he said. “My goal is to make sure the child received the care she needs and there’s some accountability for what took place.”
