Brickbats

Who You Gonna Call?

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Fourteen-year-old Mariya Fatima began vomiting and collapsed in the hallway at Queens, New York's Jamaica High School. But medical help did not arrive until 90 minutes later. Mariya had a stroke that cost her the use of her right hand and left her with difficulty walking. Her family says the stroke might not have been so damaging if she'd gotten help sooner, and they blame a school policy barring teachers from calling 911 "for any reason."  Their lawyer and a teacher's union representative say the policy was adopted to make it seem as if there is less crime at the school than there actually is.