Third Grader Kassidy Childress Made the Choking Sign at Lunch in Longview, Texas, and Her Teacher and Assistant Principal Saved Her Life With the Heimlich

Lunch period at Parker Elementary in Longview, Texas, was almost over on Sept. 30 when third grader Kassidy Childress put her hands around her neck. Teacher Ashley Peterson, who was watching her assigned tables, recognized the universal choking sign, KLTV and KTRE reported.

Peterson patted Kassidy on the back several times and signaled for Assistant Principal Kyle Burns. Burns performed the Heimlich maneuver, and it worked.

The choking sign and a signal for help

The Pine Tree ISD incident happened as the lunch period was winding down, according to the station’s report by JD Conte. Peterson saw the hand-to-throat signal while monitoring her tables. She signaled Burns for help and, before he arrived, patted Kassidy on the back several times.

Burns then performed abdominal thrusts, the technique commonly called the Heimlich maneuver. The report did not say what Kassidy had been eating, how long she was choking or whether she needed medical care afterward.

Both staff members credited their training, though the report did not describe what that training was. Peterson also credited her faith and the timing, saying God had put the right people in the right place at the right moment.

A mother “forever grateful”

Kassidy’s mother, Alicia Childress, told the station she was in shock and called her family “so blessed and forever grateful.” Kassidy, for her part, thanked the two staff members for saving her life.

What first-aid guidance says about a choking child

Medical centers describe the steps for a child over age 1 in slightly different ways, and their guidance is worth reading closely.

Choking means a person cannot speak, cough or breathe because something is blocking the airway, according to Cedars-Sinai. For a conscious child older than 1, the health system outlines alternating five back blows between the shoulder blades with five abdominal thrusts, pulling a fist inward and upward above the navel and below the rib cage with only enough force to avoid injuring the ribs or organs. It says to continue until the object comes out, the child becomes unconscious or advanced life support arrives, and that the child should be seen by a health care provider afterward.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital describes the abdominal thrusts for a person age 1 or older: stand behind the person, place a fist thumb-side just above the bellybutton, cover it with the other hand and pull in and up with quick, hard thrusts. It says to repeat until the person coughs, speaks or becomes unresponsive, and to call 911 if the person loses consciousness.

Valley Children’s Healthcare adds an important distinction. If a child can talk and has a strong cough, it says to encourage coughing, call 911 and not use abdominal thrusts. Signs that call for action include being unable to cough, breathe, cry or speak, a pale or bluish face and grabbing at the throat. If a child stops breathing or becomes unconscious, it says to call 911 and start CPR. The hospital says anyone caring for children should learn child CPR and abdominal thrusts.

Its CPR steps for an unconscious child call for 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, pressing at least about 2 inches deep on the lower breastbone, then checking the mouth for an object and giving two rescue breaths. It cautions against a blind finger sweep when no object can be seen.

Nationwide Children’s also lists variations. For a person who is pregnant or extremely overweight, it says to give inward thrusts against the middle of the breastbone instead, and for someone choking alone, it says to thrust the abdomen against a chair back, sink edge or railing.

Why choking is a recurring danger for young children

Choking is a leading cause of injury and death among children, especially those under 4, according to a 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement published in Pediatrics and summarized by Nationwide Children’s. Lead author Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and the statement say that on average a child in the United States dies about every five days from choking on food. Most incidents involve food, coins and toys.

The statement says hot dogs cause more choking deaths than any other food, and it lists grapes, popcorn, nuts, hard candy, seeds and raw carrots as high-risk. For children under 4, the Academy advises cutting hot dogs lengthwise and grapes into quarters, keeping small items out of reach and not letting small children run, play or lie down while eating.

Kassidy is a third grader, well past the age group the Academy flags as highest risk, which shows how a choking emergency can still happen in a crowded cafeteria. A similar lunchtime scare also ended with a save when a ninth grader who had never learned the Heimlich saved his twin brother in the cafeteria.

What the district has and has not said

The report quoted Peterson, Alicia Childress and Kassidy but did not include a statement from Pine Tree ISD or describe a district training program. What it does record is a simple sequence: a child made the sign, a teacher saw it, an administrator was called and a third grader kept breathing. Her mother, Alicia Childress, said she was in shock, and Kassidy’s own message to the two adults was one of gratitude for saving her life.

For parents, the story is a reminder of how much of a child’s school day runs on adults who are watching the right table at the right second. Peterson was doing exactly that when the sign came.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: USDAgov – Public domain/Wikimedia Commons