In June, (ISD) was honored for rescuing a student from choking.

Juracan, a transportation trainer for the district, was given an American Red Cross Certificate of Merit at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Greater Houston Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The incident occurred on May 31, 2009, while Juracan was training a new school bus driver. An elementary student named Isac Flores ran out of his house to board the bus while still chewing his breakfast.

As Flores was walking down the aisle to find a seat, Juracan noticed that he was choking and not able to breathe. Juracan quickly and calmly walked over to Flores and began abdominal thrusts until the child spit the food out and began to cough and breathe.

Flores was examined by the school nurse to ensure that he was OK after he was delivered safely to school.

“It was a natural instinct for him to want to help, he had the skills to help correctly, and he made a difference,” said Brian Weisinger, Spring ISD transportation director.

Juracan learned how to identify a choking victim and administer abdominal thrusts in an American Red Cross adult/child CPR course that is required for all Spring ISD transportation trainers. The district’s transportation department requires all special-needs drivers, auxiliary drivers and trainers to take the CPR course, and most of the regular drivers have taken the training, which is provided by a cadre of CPR instructors at the transportation department.

“It takes a hero mentality to step into a situation and do what you have been trained to do,” said Denise Chuick, Spring ISD safety coordinator. “[Juracan] stepped up and did what was needed using a technique he had learned in the training.”

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