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<img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/emailHeader_top.gif" /><br /> <a href="http://www.texasobserver.org"><img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/emailHeader_home.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.texasobserver.org/subscribe.php"><img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/emailHeader_subscribe.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.texasobserver.org/donate.php"><img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/emailHeader_donate.gif" /></a><img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/emailHeader_right.gif" /><br /> <h2>Manslaughter at a State School</h2> <h4>by Dave Mann</h4> <div style="width:594px;"> <p>More sad evidence this week that reforming the troubled Texas state school system -- the 13 large institutions for the mentally disabled -- will be a long, difficult job.</p> <p>A former employee at the Lubbock State School was indicted on Tuesday on manslaughter charges. A direct care worker named Doneil Smith allegedly killed a 45 year old resident. Smith allegedly suffocated the resident to death.</p> <p>The <em>Lubbock Avalanche-Journal </em>has <a href="http://lubbockonline.com/stories/102809/loc_509780420.shtml" title="Lubbock Avalanche Journal">more details</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>The medical examiner's office ruled Nicholson died of suffocation during a struggle.</p> <p>The autopsy report cited information from investigative reports which stated that Nicholson was on a mattress with someone lying over his upper torso when he died.</p> <p>Lilly Nicholson told the A-J in August that several state school employees caused his death while trying to dress him.</p> <p>She said her son suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder and refused to dress while his clothes were being washed.</p> </blockquote> <p>The Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), the state agency that oversees state schools, has fired Smith and five other employees at the Lubbock facility, according to the paper.</p> <p>As you may know, state schools have endured well-documented problems in recent years. (You can read …<br/><br/><a href='http://www.texasobserver.org/contrarian/comments/manslaughter-at-a-state-school'>Read the entire article »</a> <br /><br /> http://www.texasobserver.org/contrarian/comments/manslaughter-at-a-state-school </div> <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.texasobserver.org/images/email/email_footer.gif" />