POLAND, Maine — New details have been released in the apparent drowning death of a Lewiston Middle School student.
Thirteen-year-old Rayan Issa was one of 111 Lewiston 7th graders on a field trip to Range Pond State Park two weeks ago.
Eleven adult chaperones were also on that trip, when the boy apparently drowned in the roped-off swim area at the pond.
According to the school’s own investigation, when Rayan Issa went under, the team leader, five adult chaperones and a lifeguard were watching students playing in the water from the beach, and none of them saw Rayan in trouble.
According to the investigation, students who were playing football in the water with Rayan Issa saw him go after the football into deep water.
They then saw him struggling for a brief period of time before he went under and did not come back up.
The investigation found that instead of immediately telling teachers what had happened, a student simply reported him missing, other students suggested he might have gone to the bathroom, and no one could pinpoint exactly where he was last in the water.
Superintendent Bill Webster says those students may not have realized Rayan was in danger.
“It can be quite a quiet event,” Webster said. “And for students that are not overly familiar with water, could well be confused on whether they thought someone was playing or having fun. Clearly there was confusion after the event.”
Adults dove into the water, but couldn’t find him.
The report says only after rescue crews arrived, did three students confirm the area where they last saw Rayan.
He was later pulled from the water, but didn’t make it.
“Clearly there are changes that we need to make,” Webster said.
Changes are starting with the field trip permission slips.
Rayan Issa was Somali, but the slips are currently only in English. Also, nowhere do they ask if a student knows how to swim.
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