Chicago Public Schools, Families Talk About Fox River Drownings

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 18, 2008 6:35PM

This weekend, Chicago Public Schools head Arne Duncan met with one of the families of the three boys who drowned last week in the Fox River during a leadership camp. Duncan sat down with the family of Jimmy Avant, who drowned attempting to rescue two of his friends whose paddleboat capsized; the boys were partaking in what one sheriff deemed "shenanigans" late last Thursday night when the incident occurred. Avant's mother, Sharon Gowdy, said:

They were all working hard. They all had great dreams…dreams are shattered now. He'll never drive a car. He'll never have a child. He'll never walk across a stage. He'll never go to college...They shouldn't have been allowed to sneak out there -- you know kids will be kids.

Duncan promised a full investigation into the incident, including how over a dozen students attending the camp managed to sneak out late at night undetected by the assigned chaperones and to educate teens on the potentially fatal hazards of such accidents. As that investigation continues, the CPS has announced that via its Children First Fund, it will provide $1,500 to each of the three boys' families to help cover funeral costs.

Pictured, from left to right, Adrian Jones, Jimmy Avant, and Melvin Choice