Student found at bottom of pool dies

File photo



EVERETT-- The 21-year-old student found unconscious at the bottom a high school pool May 31 was taken off life support Sunday.

Fedrick Nifasha, a student at Lake Stevens High School, drowned during a Lake Stevens School District special education program field trip.

An attorney representing the family said Nifasha shouldn't have been allowed in the pool because he was a special needs student who couldn't swim. And since his family had recently immigrated from Tanzania, he also had a limited knowledge of English, further increasing his dependency on his caretakers, the attorney said.

The attorney said it appeared Nifasha was underwater for a "considerable amount of time."

The school district is investigating the incident.