Staff member dies after student kicks her at Meadowridge Academy

A 53-year-old staff member at a residential therapeutic school in Swansea, Massachusetts, died Thursday after a 14-year-old student kicked her in the chest during an altercation in a dormitory the night before, prosecutors said. The incident occurred at about 6:55 p.m. on Wednesday at Meadowridge Academy, where staff were attempting to stop the student from leaving the building without permission, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office said.

Officials said staff, including the victim, identified as Amy Morrell of Riverside, Rhode Island, tried to restrain the teenage student when the youth struck Morrell in the chest. Morrell collapsed, and colleagues began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and called 911. Swansea Emergency Medical Services transported her to a hospital, where she remained in critical condition overnight and was pronounced dead the following afternoon. Authorities have not released an official cause of death, and the investigation is active and ongoing.

The 14-year-old, who has not been publicly identified because of her age, was charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and was arraigned Thursday in Fall River Juvenile Court, according...