Mother Wants Answers After Son’s Drowning in HS Pool

The mother of a 15-year-old high school student in Michigan is searching for answers after her son drowned in the school’s pool.

Da’Sean Blanding was found unresponsive in the Mumford High School pool Monday afternoon, and his mother, Christina Blanding, says the district’s response has been insufficient.

The swimming instructor at Mumford was placed on administrative leave, but Christina says that’s not enough in light of a number of unanswered questions surrounding the incident.

“They left that boy there,” one family member told Click On Detroit. “They left him. Whoever was with him, they left him there and all they had to do if they couldn’t save him was pull him out of there.”

There were no cameras in the pool. Da’Sean’s family described him as a good swimmer.

“Everybody that knows him at Mumford knows he was a cool dude,” a family member said. “He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve to be left like that.”

The district released the following statement in the aftermath of Da’Sean’s death:

Yesterday’s loss of one of our students during school hours and at one of our schools has been one of the most difficult incidents we have endured as a School Board/Superintendent team. We are committed to determine what caused this tragic loss at the highest level of transparency once the facts surface regarding what occurred. If the conclusion of the investigation reveals any wrongdoing then we will be sure to hold any and all personnel or students accountable. At this point, the swimming teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation or the surfacing of more facts regarding the incident.

We will provide Mumford students with grief counselors as they requested by our students, staff and parents. We sincerely request that the media respect the confidentiality of the student we lost and allow the District and law enforcement to complete our investigation of the matter. We commit to fully updating the media and community about the incident once additional facts surface. We have nothing to gain from hiding the truth of this devastating loss. We owe our student, his family, and the Mumford community the truth and justice they deserve—and we are fully committed to that conclusion.