He was supposed to be safe in a place designed to protect children. Aa’Dyen Hooks was 11 years old and living with epilepsy, a condition his family managed carefully with doctors and a strict medical plan. His physicians had issued clear, written instructions: no screens. No iPads. No visual stimulation that could trigger a seizure. The school had the documentation. Staff were informed. The safeguards were in place — at least on paper.
Then, according to his parents’ lawsuit, someone handed him an iPad anyway.
What followed happened quickly. Aa’Dyen suffered a seizure and collapsed in the hallway. For a child with epilepsy, this was the precise scenario his emergency action plan was created to address. Protocol required immediate intervention — timing the seizure, administering appropriate aid, and calling 911 without delay.
His parents allege that those steps were not followed.
The lawsuit claims staff failed to properly monitor the duration of the seizure and did not immediately contact emergency services. Minutes passed. Aa’Dyen remained on the floor. The complaint argues that the critical window for life-saving action narrowed while confusion and inaction took its place.
By the time medical help arrived, it was too late.
Aa’Dyen later died.
His parents say this was not a tragic mystery or an unavoidable medical event. They describe it as negligence — a documented care plan ignored, a known trigger allowed, and an emergency response that fell short at the worst possible moment. In their view, their son was left unprotected in the very building entrusted with his safety.
The lawsuit now seeks accountability from the school and those responsible for implementing his medical accommodations. Beyond legal action, the family says their goal is systemic change: stricter adherence to individualized health plans, better staff training, and immediate emergency responses for vulnerable students.
Aa’Dyen was more than a diagnosis. He was a child with a future, a son whose life depended on adults following simple, written instructions.
Now, his parents are fighting to ensure no other child is left on a school floor waiting for help that should have come without hesitation.