Written by Maxwell Williams | Cronkite News
PHOENIX – High school soccer has evolved over the years. To emulate athletes at the next level, many programs plan training camps or special training camps away from school grounds, similar to vacations in college athletics. For one freshman in particular at Cesar Chavez High School, an offseason getaway turned tragically fatal.
Christopher Hampton, a 15-year-old freshman, was reported missing to authorities on July 17, and his body was discovered the afternoon of July 18, according to a social media post from the Navajo County Sheriff's Office. It became clear. Low Lake was confirmed as an “accident” on October 19th.
Now, nearly seven months after the incident, the Phoenix Union High School District has decided to update its travel policy.
Hampton family attorney Benjamin Taylor believes the latest travel policy announcement, approved by the District Board of Supervisors last week, will only further incriminate Cesar Chavez, according to the Arizona family. .
“This shows they're guilty of everything,” Taylor said Wednesday. “The fact that they are coming out with new policies now, rather than earlier, shows that they have failed.”
The policy update, scheduled to take effect on the first day of July this year, includes a list of “prohibited activities” including rock climbing, zip lining, watercraft riding and swimming. The new policy aims to prevent future tragedies from happening again.
“(The district) regularly reviews and revise processes and procedures related to all school-related operations,” a Phoenix Union spokesperson told 12News. “This practice leads to a commitment to continuous improvement to best serve our students, staff, and community.”
Taylor filed a notice of claim in October saying she plans to sue the Phoenix Union High School District for $50 million. He said he believes the incident could have been avoided if the school had followed proper warnings.
“The coaches and administrators didn't really know about this camp they were going to. While they were at the camp, Cesar Chavez High School was told by others not to go swimming. I was warned,” Taylor said.
The players were simply cooling off in the lake, but Hampton's poor swimming ability made matters worse. Arizona's family cited statements collected by detectives and police saying that Hampton's underwater skills were “not very good” and that it was “more like dog-paddling” than swimming. cited the official report.
Taylor acknowledged the desire for schools to create unique off-site opportunities for athletes, but said they have a “supreme obligation” to consider student safety in order to make these experiences possible. He pointed out that it is the coaches and administrators who have the power.
“Even if these policies were in place before Christopher Hampton's death, the fact that the coaches didn't follow the policies, the fact that the administrators didn't follow the policies, the fact that they were in place before Christopher Hampton's death… That's why he died today,” Taylor said.
