Six questions about fifth-grader's death in school fight

GREENVILLE, S.C. – A 10-year-old girl was laid to rest Wednesday, nine days after she was hospitalized following an altercation at a South Carolina elementary school.

Raniya Wright's case has drawn national attention since her death on March 27, two days after she was taken to a hospital.

The Colleton County Sheriff's Office and the school district have released limited information about the circumstances surrounding the fight at Forest Hills Elementary School.

On Tuesday, state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews said during a Senate meeting that Raniya lost consciousness in the principal's office after a scuffle in a classroom with another girl. A substitute teacher was leading the class of 20 students for the first time when the fight broke out. Bright Matthews said the brief altercation involved shoves and slaps.

The Colleton County School District responded to Bright Matthew's statements, reinforcing its position that the Colleton County Sheriff's Office is still conducting an investigation so details are being withheld. The school district would not confirm where Bright Matthews was given such information or whether it was accurate.

Here are six questions that are unanswered as of Wednesday.

More:Fifth-grader dies after classroom fight, South Carolina school district says

1. What was Raniya Wright's cause of death?

The Colleton County Coroner's Office has not yet released details surrounding Raniya's injuries or how she died.

An autopsy was performed Friday, but authorities said gathering results from those tests could take weeks.

"As is standard procedure on all autopsies, test results were taken by the pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina," 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said. "Those tests, and the results of those tests are not in, we do not have them at this time and we do not expect them for several weeks."

Results from that autopsy will likely not be shared until the entire investigation is complete, Stone said.

2. What kind of injuries did she sustain in fight?

The incident report states that Raniya collapsed at the school. She was taken to the nurse's station and became unconscious but was breathing. 

She was transported by Colleton County Fire and Rescue to the Colleton Medical Center with an "apparent minor injury," according to the report, but later was brought to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where she died Wednesday.

It wasn't until Raniya was in the principal's office that she complained of headache, Bright Matthews said. She said Raniya appeared OK after the initial scuffle.

3. Was the fight the result of bullying?

Though Raniya's mother has indicated her daughter was subject to bullying in school, and a county school board member called on the district to create a bullying committee to study the scope of bullying, authorities have not officially stated that bullying was what sparked the fight that led to Raniya's death.

It remains unclear what events may have spurred the apparent fight. The incident report from the Sheriff's Office only states the offense as being a "simple assault."

Bright Matthews said that she learned Raniya and the other girl involved in the fight had been arguing throughout the day.

More:A 5th grader was fatally injured at school a week ago. Her dad says he's gotten no information

4. Will the other 5th-grader involved face charges?

An incident report from the Colleton County Sheriff's Office states another 10-year-old female student was involved in the fight with Raniya.

The school district announced that the student was suspended from Forest Hills Elementary School, but that no criminal charges had been filed.

Sean Gruber, a spokesman for the school district, said the student will be suspended through the entirety of the investigation.

5. What is the protocol for breaking up fights?

The school district has not detailed its protocols for when teachers or administrators are able to intervene in breaking up fights should they occur.

The incident report did not state whether a teacher or school administrator intervened in the scuffle, only that a simple assault had occurred and that Raniya went to the nurse's station.

Sean Gruber, a spokesman for the school district, said the district tries to encourage staff to be visible throughout the school and throughout the day, but he declined to comment specifically about standard procedures for when fights occur.

6. Where were the school resource officers?

According to the school district, there are two deputies assigned to oversee the district's five elementary schools and one early childhood center.

Authorities have not said if a school resource officer was at Forest Hills Elementary at the time of the fight.

The incident report states that the resource officer assigned to the school was notified that a student collapsed and that first responders had been called.