The district attorney in the New York
county of Westchester on Tuesday said he would not proceed
against the international boarding school where Italian high
school student Claudio Mandia committed suicide in February a
fay before he turned 18 after spending four days in punitive
isolation, Mt Pleasant police announced.
The "primitive methods" used by the college to punish
Puglia-born Manda for copying an exam paper pushed him to kill
himself, the student's family maintained.
The school, EF Academy, said "While we are heartbroken about
Claudio's death, we appreciate the District Attorney of
Westchester County's conclusion last week after a thorough,
eight-month investigation to review all of the facts.
"The District Attorney determined there is no basis to bring
charges against EF Academy or any of its dedicated staff.
Our hearts remain with Claudio's family, and we reserve further
comments at this time."
They young man, who is his last year at the school, was in the
four-day isolation as punishment after being caught getting
unwarranted help with a maths assignment.
His parents Mauro and Elisabetta Mandia filed a civil suit at
the start of November with the Supreme Court of Westchester
County accusing the school staff of "inhumane conduct and
grievous negligence" which led their son to his taking his life.
Mandia, a student from Battipaglia in Puglia committed
suicide in the college on the night of February 18-19 , a day
before turning 18, after serving three days in isolation as a
punishment for copying the paper.
Mandia had been studying English and training to become
a manager, his lifetime ambition, at the college, his family
said.
His family, who make frozen pizzas and export them around the
world including America, have also said he had been subjected to
"unimaginable treatment" by the college.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
