William C. Flook, The Examiner
2006-08-09 09:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

Fairfax County -

For two months before she died, 10-year-old Taryn was noticeably ill, making regular trips to the school clinic and alarming those who saw her health steadily deteriorate.

The Canterbury Woods Elementary School student died on June 20, the last day before summer vacation.

Her death has sparked outrage from some staff and parents of other children at the school, who say the system has shrouded her death in secrecy.

An autopsy was conducted on the fourth-grader shortly after she died, but the medical examiner told The Examiner that the cause of death had not been determined.

Two teachers who worked closely with the girl have since been transferred within the county system.

The Examiner is withholding the girl’s last name to protect her family’s privacy.

“And we still have no answers from the school department,” said Tom Santaniello, a Canterbury parent. “All we’re seeing is people being removed from the school and everyone being encouraged not to talk about this.”

Some Canterbury parents want an investigation to determine whether the child was looked after adequately by the school.

Other parents made similar statements to Santaniello’s on what they called a lack of communication from the county, and relayed concerns that clear warning signs of the girl’s declining health were not addressed.

Dana Vogel, who taught Taryn’s fourth-grade class and reportedly sought help for the girl, has been transferred to Ravensworth Elementary School. Ayebea Ashong, an after-school teacher, has been transferred to Little Run Elementary School. Fairfax County Public Schools spokesman Paul Regnier said Tuesday he would neither confirm the moves nor offer any explanation for them.

Police do not suspect homicide and the Fairfax County Health Department has ruled out a communicable disease as a cause of the girl’s death.

“We’re satisfied that things were handled appropriately,” said Regnier.

Staff within the school system spoke to The Examiner on conditions of anonymity for fear of retribution.

They said the girl suffered from mild cerebral palsy and other health problems, and developed severe rashes and swelling since she returned from spring break in April. She reportedly fell severely ill as the year progressed.

Her teacher, The Examiner was told by several people, had repeatedly reported her concerns to the school principal, who failed to act.

Taryn’s mother said the girl was taken to multiple specialists, including pediatricians, cardiologists and allergists. She denied that warning signs were ignored.

“We saw many doctors over the course of these issues that she’d been having,” the mother said. “Every time we had a symptom we took her to the doctor.”

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairwoman Sharon Bulova, who represents the Braddock District, said she met with parents last month to hear their concerns on the child’s death. Parents, she said, “wanted to make sure that a proper review was done of the whole case.”

wflook@dcexaminer.com