A student at a Cobble Hill high school choked to death on Tuesday afternoon, school officials said.
Paramedics arrived shortly after noon at 284 Baltic St., an educational campus between Court and Smith streets that contains several high schools, a Fire Department spokesman said. They were responding to a 911 call reporting a person in cardiac arrest, according to the department. Responders transported the 21-year-old student to New York Methodist Hospital, a Department of Education spokeswoman said. There a doctor pronounced her dead, the rep said.
The city’s schools chancellor sent her condolences and said she would send mental health professionals to ease the pain.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of this loss, and my heart goes out to the student’s family and the entire school community,” Carmen Farina said. “We will have guidance counselors at the school to help support the community during this tragedy.”
The student choked on a muffin, according to reports. The deceased was a 21-year-old pupil at Star Academy, a special-education program in the building, according to the family’s lawyer. The education department’s Special Commissioner for Investigations is planning to look into whether all protocol was followed in the incident, according to the spokeswoman.
The school building between Smith and Court streets is home to the School for International Studies, the Brooklyn School for Global Studies, and Success Academy, a charter school.
