Teacher Who Killed Student Avoids Charges

An East Palo Alto schoolteacher who accidentally struck and killed a 6-year-old girl in a crosswalk last year will not be charged with a crime, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Fern White-Parker was on her way to teach at Costano Elementary School on Sept. 28 when she struck East Palo Alto girl Sioreli Torres shortly after 8 a.m. Torres, a Green Oaks Academy student, was crossing Bay Road at Gloria Way on her way to school when she was struck, according to police.

Her mother and two younger sisters were a few feet behind her in the crosswalk. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said his office worked with the East Palo Alto Police Department to complete a thorough and detailed investigation of the incident, which included interviews with dozens of witnesses.

Wagstaffe called the incident a "tragic case," but said the evidence did not suggest that White-Parker had committed vehicular manslaughter or broken any other laws. Torres' family has been informed of the district attorney's decision, Wagstaffe said.

--Bay City News

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