A 5-year-old boy died after a mounted video display board fell on him at a Brevard County elementary school, prompting the school district to immediately begin inspecting similar equipment across all of its campuses.
According to Brevard Public Schools officials, the boy was a student at Riviera Elementary School in Palm Bay. A large Promethean board — which had been mounted on the wall — fell on the child just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Emergency crews responded, and the boy was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he later died,
Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell released a statement on Thursday, expressing the district’s grief.
“We are saddened by the heartbreaking news of a tragic accident that occurred yesterday at Riviera Elementary School,” Rendell said.
The Palm Bay Police Department is actively investigating the incident. Brevard Public Schools says it is cooperating fully with law enforcement.
The district says Promethean boards were installed by a licensed, third-party vendor, Atlantis Electrical Systems, in accordance with manufacturer guidelines. Still, officials are not waiting for the investigation to conclude before taking action.
Effective immediately, the district is inspecting Promethean boards on all campuses. Grief counselors and additional support resources are also available at Riviera Elementary in the coming days.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” Rendell said.
The school district did not say how the video display board fell and hurt the child, calling the incident an active investigation.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. You can find that HERE.