Somerset Lunch Monitor Hailed as Hero for Saving Choking Student

SOMERSET — A lunch and recess monitor at a Somerset elementary school is being hailed as a hero after saving a student who was choking at lunchtime.

Somerset Public Schools commended Joan Plummer, a lunch and recess monitor at North Elementary School, for her "actions that potentially avoided a tragedy" in a Tuesday afternoon Facebook post.

According to the district, a student was choking at lunch on Friday, Jan. 6 when Plummer was alerted to the emergency by another student.

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She used her training in basic lifesaving skills to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on the choking student, clearing the obstruction, the post noted.

"We are happy to report the student was well immediately after the incident," the district wrote.

Officials noted in the post that Plummer has worked in Somerset schools for more than 20 years, and responded "quickly and appropriately" to the potential emergency.

"We are extremely grateful for her alertness and responsiveness," the post concluded. "Thank you, Mrs. Plummer."

The statement has received more than 350 likes on Facebook, with dozens of commenters hailing Plummer as a hero and thanking her for her service.