Family of teen who died after ‘medical emergency’ on OCPS school bus holds news conference

The family of an Orange County student who recently died spoke about his death on Wednesday.

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The family of Jasiel Sanders, a 15-year-old College Park Middle School student who died on Monday, held a news conference Wednesday morning with their attorney.

The Orlando Police Department said it appeared the boy suffered “a medical emergency” on a school bus Monday morning.

Around 9:40 a.m., OPD said officers and the Orlando Fire Department responded to the location of the bus in the 3700 block of South Lake Orlando Parkway.

Police said the teen was taken to a hospital but did not survive.

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An OPD incident report stated there did not appear to be any foul play involved, but that a ruling on the cause of death had not yet been determined by a Medical Examiner.

In an email response to an inquiry about the incident, Orange County Public Schools told Eyewitness News that the bus driver pulled over because of a “separate incident” and noticed a student in distress.

The district said the driver called 911, which is “standard operating procedure.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they deal with the loss of their child,” a district spokesperson said in the email, and went on to say, “We have confirmed from the Orlando Police Department that this incident was deemed a medical event and is not under investigation by law enforcement at this time. This incident is under internal review by the district’s Office of Professional Standards.”

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Sanders’ family and their attorney spoke to the media shortly after 11 a.m.

Channel 9 was at that news conference. Watch Eyewitness News at Noon and monitor WFTV.com for updates.

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