Classes canceled following child’s death at Bishop England High School

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Officials with Bishop England High School say classes are canceled Monday following a tragic accident involving one of their staff members.

Officers with the Charleston Police Department were called to the high school just before 4 p.m. for a report of a child locked in a vehicle. Berkeley County EMS pronounced the child dead on the scene, spokesperson Anthony Gibson said.

Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell confirmed the child was a 16-month-old girl, and she was left in the vehicle between 7:30 and 8 a.m.

Officials said the car is owned by the child’s mother, a staff member at Bishop England High School.

Classes on Monday will be canceled and a mass will be offered instead.

Bishop England High School President Patrick Finneran sent the following statement to parents regarding the accident:

It is with great sorrow that we inform you of the tragic loss of an employee’s child. We ask that you please keep this family and our school community in your prayers during this unspeakably difficult time.

To help our BEHS community in processing this sadness, we will not have classes on Monday. Father Fryml will offer Mass on Monday morning in the gym at 8:15 for students, faculty and staff. Our parents are welcome and encouraged to attend as well. Adoration will follow in the Performing Arts Center as we seek God’s healing as a community. Your children are not required to attend on Monday if they prefer to spend that time with their family. We hope gathering in prayer on Monday will give our BEHS community the opportunity to come together as a family to grieve, pray, support and love each other.

We know this is an incredibly difficult time for us all, so we will have several local priests and counselors on campus beginning on Monday to assist your children throughout the week. If you feel your child needs additional support, please reach out to our Counseling Department.

As we mourn this loss, we share with you the below prayer to provide comfort in this difficult time.

O God, who knows that our hearts are weighed down by grief at the death of this young child, grant that, while we weep for this child, who at your bidding has departed this life too soon, we may have faith that this child has gained an eternal home in heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

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