Police investigate staff at nursery school after 1-year-old dies in their care
Caretakers suspected of negligence after toddler falls from play structure to his death in Beersheba
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleMichael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
The principal and a caretaker of a nursery in the southern city of Beersheba were questioned by police on Wednesday following the death of a one-year-old who was in their care.
The caretaker, 41, and the principal, 52, were detained on suspicion of causing the death due to negligence, and released from police custody on Wednesday evening.
The infant, Peleg Yaakov, fell from a play structure at the nursery on Tuesday and was taken in critical condition to the Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the caretakers did not intend for the toddler to fall, but argued that they were negligent in their supervision of the boy. Channel 13 news reported that the preliminary investigations found that the caretaker and principal were not fully certified.
According to Hebrew-language media, the Education Ministry said that the nursery was in the process of being licensed, but had not completed the process.
Police requested that the court extend the detention of the principal and caretaker, fearing the caregiver who was at the scene of the tragedy would disrupt the investigation.
פלג יעקב הוא התינוק שמת בגן הילדים בבאר שבע – יובא הערב למנוחותhttps://t.co/NcTH9ORzFs@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/Ji4rrKbbyi
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However, the court ruled in favor of the defense, who argued that the incident did not mean that the daycare workers were a danger to the public, and were allowed return home under restricted conditions.
At the time, the nursery principal was on holiday and reportedly went into shock upon hearing of the toddler’s death over the phone, requiring medical care.
The nursery has been closed until further notice, and the licensing will be reviewed at a later stage.
The boy’s funeral will be held at 10 p.m. on Wednesday at the New Beersheba Cemetery.
According to data from the child safety organization Beterem, 35 children have fallen to their deaths in Israel in the last five years.
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