I get goosebumps every time I hear or read reports about young people's lives getting wasted, especially if the death is untimely, tragic, heartbreaking, and happens in school, which is supposed to be their second home.

My heart goes to the parents of Francis Jay Gumikib, a 14-year-old Grade 5 student at Peñafrancia Elementary School in Antipolo, Rizal. The poor boy died 11 days after slipping into a coma at a hospital, reportedly after the teacher slapped him.

The death certificate showed the boy succumbed to global brain edema, with an antecedent cause of acute intraparenchymal hemorrhage or bleeding into the brain tissue. There were also findings of significant conditions contributing to his death — presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis and child physical abuse. While we all await the autopsy report by the Philippine National Police or PNP Forensic Group, which may be out this week, it would be best to clear the air about the school's responsibility to students.

Per Francis' classmates' account, the teacher pulled his hair and slapped him, hitting his ear while the class was unruly. Days later, the mother rushed the boy to the hospital after complaining of severe earache and vomiting. Did the single slap lead to a series of unfortunate events?

The teacher has been suspended pending the completion of an investigation by the police and the Commission on Human Rights, which stepped into the picture. According to one news report, the teacher denied slapping the boy that hard to cause injury to his brain, but still, she laid her hand on him.

Regardless of the impact, a slap is an assault on the child, just like when the teacher throws an eraser or chalk at students or makes them squat in one corner of the room as punishment.

Much as I would like to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt, Lady Justice is not blind even when blindfolded. Teachers must remember that no law allows them to punish or abuse our children physically and emotionally.

The incident is disturbing, as it is at the end of World Teachers' Day when we all celebrate and honor our teachers. They, too, have problems at work and home, so you can imagine the stress of handling more than 20 or 30 students in an unruly environment every hour and every working day.