BY AMY SHERMAN
The Miami Herald
October 14, 2006
A 13-year-old Plantation boy who collapsed after a day of marching and exercises at a school-related orientation in North Miami died accidentally as a result of heatstroke, the Miami-Dade medical examiner concluded Friday.
The ruling came as neither a surprise nor a comfort to the boy's mother, Dena Cullinane of Plantation.
''I felt from the very beginning, no matter what the results were, it was God's will,'' Cullinane said. ``It doesn't matter to me. I just have to cope.''
Alex Cullinane died Aug. 12 at Oleta River State Park after days of strenuous outdoor training during which he often rejected food and water. Police said he awoke in the middle of the night raving and incoherent, a common symptom of heatstroke.
The camp was described as an orientation for new and returning students by Back to Basics Military Academy, a small, private Christian school.
Orientation instructors will not face charges, North Miami police said, because Cullinane's death was ruled an accident.
Back to Basics Principal Lynda Browne, when asked why the staff did not make sure Cullinane ate and drank, said, ``You can't force anyone to do anything. All the children were given an opportunity to drink plenty of water, take plenty of food. Many of the children said he was throwing his away.''
In healthy children, heat- stroke generally happens after heavy exercise at extreme temperatures, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The symptoms are hot, dry skin and erratic behavior or convulsions as the body loses its ability to control overheating.
During heavy exercise in hot weather, people should drink two to four glasses of cool fluids an hour, the CDC recommends.
By Aug. 12, students at the camp had undergone four days of intensive outdoor training during near-record temperatures in the mid-90s.
After the incident, the city of Lauderhill kicked the school out of a church building because it didn't have a license to operate. The school then moved to Temple Messianique in Hallandale Beach, where it eventually got a license from that city.
Browne said the school is looking for a permanent site but will stay in Hallandale Beach for now. About 30 students in grades 4 through 12 are currently enrolled.
Although the medical examiner's press release states that Cullinane died during ''boot camp'' exercises, Lynda Browne denied that this was a boot camp.
''All this report does is says to us what we knew all along: Nothing was done to little Alex,'' she said. ``It was a very unfortunate situation.''
Miami Herald staff writers Tim Henderson and Elizabeth Gibson contributed to this report.
