M Gopalan, 47, and P Magaswari, 45, allege that the school staff did not act swiftly during the May 27 incident, choosing to wait for an ambulance instead of transporting their daughter to the nearest clinic or hospital.
At a press conference today, Gopalan said the closest clinic was only a two-minute drive from the school, while Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital was about 15 minutes away.
According to him, the staff claimed that they could not transport his daughter as their SOPs required a parent to be present.
He also alleged that the school did not administer first aid while waiting for the ambulance and was uncooperative when questioned about the SOPs.
“My child is gone now. If she had died from a heart attack, I could have accepted it.
“If the principal or class teacher had simply asked for my permission to take her to the hospital, I would have agreed without hesitation,” he said.
The incident reportedly happened when the student was in a classroom with three others during recess. One of them later informed teachers that she had collapsed and was foaming at the mouth after allegedly consuming poison.
Magaswari said she was initially told by a student that her daughter was suffering from a stomach ache.
“The student who called me said my child had a terrible stomach ache and kept asking for me. I rushed over thinking she had gastric pain,” she said.
The parents were en route to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital with their daughter when an ambulance which had been called by the school intercepted them and took her to the hospital. However, she died upon arrival.
Gopalan said he has lodged two police reports – one against six school staff members for alleged gross negligence and evidence tampering, and another against three students for allegedly pressuring his daughter to consume the poison.
He also claimed that school authorities had prevented witnesses and students from speaking about the incident.
He urged the police to thoroughly investigate the incident, and added that the family is also calling for an inquest to determine the cause of death and whether the school had failed in its duty of care.
Activist Arun Dorasamy is assisting the family.
FMT has reached out to the education ministry and Klang Utara police for comment.