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Inset: A photo showing Texas high school student Sebastian Romo, who died after swallowing a rubber glove (GoFundMe). Background: The Texas high school that was blamed by Sebastian Romo’s parents for his death (Google Maps).
The tragic case of a Texas high school student with severe autism, who fatally choked on a rubber glove, has come to a sorrowful resolution. A lawsuit claims that a special education staff member at the school was absorbed in her cellphone when the incident occurred, allowing the student to ingest the glove.
In February 2025, the Spring Branch Independent School District reached a settlement with the family of Sebastian Romo, a student at Stratford High School. The lawsuit, which identified Sebastian through court documents and a GoFundMe page, pointed to both the district and the involved staff member as defendants. The settlement was finalized on May 19.
Sebastian’s untimely death in February 2023 followed several days in a coma, resulting from the choking episode. According to the lawsuit, Sebastian had a history of swallowing non-food items, such as tissue paper and a binder clip. The latter incident had already led to hospitalization and intubation.
Diagnosed with severe autism and a condition known as Williams-Beuren Deletion Syndrome, Sebastian required vigilant supervision due to his limited self-care abilities. His parents detailed this need for constant oversight in their legal complaint, emphasizing the risks involved in his everyday environment at home, in public, and particularly at school.
The lawsuit also revealed claims that Sebastian was often left “isolated” and “unsupervised” for large parts of his mornings. His parents described a “makeshift caged area” within his classroom, where he was allegedly kept, underscoring the neglect he faced in a place meant for his safety and learning.
“Despite it being available, he was not provided his chewy toy by staff,” the complaint said. “The classroom and surrounding areas contained readily accessible rubber gloves and other potentially ingestible items.”
On the day he choked, Sebastian allegedly “obtained a rubber glove or piece of a rubber glove and placed it in his mouth” after his lunch period. He then entered the school’s gymnasium and began choking, the complaint said.
“Surveillance footage shows him in visible distress for an extended period,” according to the complaint. “He stumbled, fell, crawled on his knees, hit his head, and repeatedly brought his hands to his mouth. Despite these visible signs of distress, no staff member intervened; rather, SBISD staff appear to be huddled together, chatting.”
The staffer named in the lawsuit, a speech-language pathology assistant employed by Soliant Health and assigned to Stratford High School, was present and “preoccupied with her cellphone,” per the complaint.
“Like the SBISD employees, she neglected her duties,” the complaint said. “[Sebastian] would eventually trip and fall over another student sitting on the floor adjacent to [the staffer]. Only upon [Sebastian] falling, did [the staffer] then look up from her cellphone.”
By this point, Sebastian had “ceased breathing, he had turned blue, and he was in a state of unconsciousness,” according to the complaint. Nobody attempted CPR or other lifesaving measures, nor did anyone attempt to “remove what should have been a known foreign object” including the Heimlich maneuver, per the complaint.
“It was later determined that [Sebastian’s] airway had been obstructed by a piece of purple medical glove consistent with those used and accessible within the Life Skills classroom and surrounding areas,” the complaint said. “[Sebastian] suffered catastrophic oxygen deprivation and died a few days later.”
Sebastian’s parents alleged that “this tragedy occurred despite years of warnings, repeated prior incidents, known risks, and readily available preventative measures.” Stratford High School staff allegedly “failed to have a formal policy and procedure on the disposal of the soiled rubber gloves” used in assisting Sebastian, as well as his classmates.
“The School District should have responded with a number of accommodations to make the environment safer for [Sebastian] and his peers,” the complaint concluded. “Instead, the School District apparently had a custom and practice of leaving this important safety concern to individuals. As should be obvious, this was a mortal and reckless oversight by SBISD.”
The district provided a statement to the Houston Chronicle on the settlement and lawsuit, saying, “The district denies wrongdoing in this tragic incident, and the court dismissed most of the family’s claims against SBISD. We do not have further comment out of respect for the privacy of the family.”
Terms of the settlement were not publicly released.