City, school board deny negligence in kindergarten boy’s drowning

The City of Saskatoon and the public school division have filed their statements of defence against a lawsuit alleging negligence led to the drowning of a five-year-old boy with autism.

The suit, filed in March on behalf of the parents of Ahmedsadiq Hussein Elmmi, alleges the death of the kindergarten student was preventable. The boy drowned in a storm pond near Ecole Dundonald School in September.

Both the city and Saskatoon Public Schools deny the claim in their defence statements.

The city states numerous measures, including signage and pamphlets, are in place to warn people of the dangers of the storm pond, while the school board states the tragedy occurred despite the school’s dedicated efforts to plan for Ahmedsadiq and manage his special needs.

Both also argue parts of the claim statement are “scandalous, frivolous and/or vexatious.”

The city filed its statement last month, while the school board’s defence was filed in April.

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  The student was discovered at the pond and was sent to hospital. (Source: Angelina Irinici/CTV Saskatoon)

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  Hussein Elmmi, sitting beside family friend and spokesperson Shafii Mohamed, holds a photo of his son Ahmedsadiq Hussein Elmmi. The five-year-old boy died after falling into a pond on his first full day of school in Saskatoon. (Daniel Shingoose/CTV Saskatoon)