The school exhibited clear negligence and carelessness
Em uma cidade do interior do Mato Grosso do Sul, dois experimentos mal conduzidos em uma feira escolar transformaram a infância de duas crianças em uma longa travessia de dor e reparação. Quase uma década depois do acidente, a Justiça reconheceu o que as famílias já sabiam: o Estado, ao falhar no dever de proteção, tornou-se devedor não apenas de indenizações, mas de uma responsabilidade que se estende por toda uma vida. A condenação não desfaz as cicatrizes, mas inscreve no registro público a ideia de que o cuidado com crianças não é opcional — é obrigação.
- Duas crianças de 8 e 10 anos sofreram queimaduras de segundo e terceiro graus cobrindo 70% e 15% do corpo durante uma demonstração escolar que saiu do controle em 2017.
- O Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul tentou se esquivar da responsabilidade culpando um terceiro e negando provas das lesões — argumentos que os tribunais rejeitaram integralmente.
- Após anos de batalha judicial, as famílias obtiveram indenizações combinadas superiores a R$260 mil, além de pensões vitalícias no valor do salário mínimo para Kaio.
- A família de Kaio, agora com 16 anos, aguarda o recebimento iminente pelo sistema de precatórios; a família de Naiany, com sentença mais recente, ainda não tem prazo definido.
Em dezembro de 2017, uma feira de ciências na cidade de Eldorado, a 442 quilômetros de Campo Grande, tornou-se o cenário de um acidente que poderia ter sido evitado. Uma professora demonstrava um experimento com gel de álcool quando, ao repetir a demonstração a pedido dos alunos, adicionou mais gel a um recipiente que ainda estava em chamas. Sem perceber, ela agitou a mão para apagar o fogo — e acabou jogando o líquido em chamas sobre dois alunos que assistiam.
Kaio Henrique dos Santos, de 8 anos, teve 70% do corpo atingido pelas chamas. Naiany Isabele Barros Rocha, de 10 anos, sofreu queimaduras em 15% do corpo. Ambas as crianças tiveram lesões de segundo e terceiro graus — ferimentos que reescrevem uma infância e exigem anos de tratamento médico.
Nove anos depois, a Justiça responsabilizou o Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul por negligência. Em decisões separadas, os tribunais concluíram que a escola, como instrumento do Estado, falhou no dever de proteger as crianças sob sua guarda. Para Naiany, a sentença de maio deste ano determinou o pagamento de R$140 mil em danos morais e estéticos, além de R$50 mil à mãe. Para Kaio, uma decisão de dezembro de 2022 fixou R$160 mil em indenizações, R$30 mil à mãe e uma pensão vitalícia equivalente ao salário mínimo, a partir dos 14 anos — ele hoje tem 16.
O Estado tentou se defender alegando que outro aluno havia trazido álcool líquido sem autorização e que a professora estava ausente no momento do acidente. Negou ainda responsabilidade pela integridade física dos alunos e contestou as provas das lesões. Todos os argumentos foram rejeitados. O advogado das famílias, Willian Tápia Vargas, foi direto: houve negligência, e negligência gera obrigação de reparar.
O pagamento seguirá o caminho dos precatórios, o sistema pelo qual o Estado liquida suas dívidas judiciais. A família de Kaio espera receber em breve. A de Naiany ainda aguarda um prazo. O Estado não se manifestou sobre as condenações.
In December 2017, a science fair in Eldorado—a town 442 kilometers from Campo Grande—became the site of a preventable disaster. Two children, Kaio Henrique dos Santos, eight years old, and Naiany Isabele Barros Rocha, ten, stood watching as their teacher demonstrated an experiment with alcohol gel. When other students asked her to repeat the demonstration, she obliged. As she added fresh gel to the container, she did not notice it was still burning. The flames spread. In reflex, she swung her hand to extinguish them, but instead flung the burning liquid onto both children.
Kaio's body was engulfed in flames across seventy percent of his surface. Naiany suffered burns across fifteen percent of hers. Both sustained second and third-degree injuries—the kind that reshape a childhood, that require years of medical intervention, that leave permanent marks.
Nine years later, the courts have ruled. The state of Mato Grosso do Sul has been found liable for negligence. The judgment came in two separate decisions, handed down at different times, but both reached the same conclusion: the school, as an instrument of the state, failed in its duty to protect the children in its care.
For Naiany, a judge in Campo Grande ordered the state to pay eighty thousand reais in moral damages and sixty thousand in compensation for disfigurement, plus fifty thousand to her mother. The ruling came in May of this year. For Kaio, a different court had already decided in December 2022: fifty thousand reais for moral damages, eighty thousand for disfigurement, thirty thousand to his mother, and a lifetime pension equal to the minimum wage, beginning when he turned fourteen. He is sixteen now.
The state contested both decisions. Officials argued that a third party—another student—had brought liquid alcohol to the fair without authorization, and that the accident occurred during a moment when the teacher was absent. They claimed the state could not be held responsible for protecting children's physical integrity and that no proof existed of the alleged injuries. The courts rejected every argument.
Willian Tápia Vargas, the attorney who brought the cases on behalf of both families, had framed the matter plainly: the school exhibited clear negligence and carelessness, and that negligence generated an obligation to compensate. The judges agreed.
The path to payment now winds through Brazil's precatory system, the mechanism by which the state settles financial judgments against itself. Kaio's family expects to receive their compensation soon. Naiany's family, whose judgment is more recent, has no timeline yet. The state has not responded to requests for comment on the rulings or the payment schedule.
Notable Quotes
The school, as an instrument of the state, failed in its duty to protect the children in its care and generated an obligation to compensate.— Attorney Willian Tápia Vargas, representing both families
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did it take nine years for the courts to reach a decision?
These cases move through the system slowly. The first judgment for Naiany came in May 2026, nearly nine years after the accident. Kaio's came earlier, in December 2022. Both families had to build their cases, gather evidence of the injuries, prove negligence. The state contested both rulings, which added time.
The state claimed a student brought unauthorized alcohol. Did that argument hold any weight?
No. The courts saw through it. The teacher was conducting an official demonstration. She was the adult responsible. Whether or not another student had brought something to the fair, the teacher's negligence in not checking the container before adding fresh gel—that was the core failure. The state was trying to shift blame downward.
What does a lifetime pension at minimum wage actually mean for these children?
It means monthly income for life. For Kaio, it begins now, at sixteen. For Naiany, the court did not award it, which is a gap in her case. But for Kaio, it's recognition that his earning capacity may be affected by his injuries. Seventy percent of his body was burned. There will be medical costs, limitations, ongoing care.
Why did the two judgments award different amounts?
Different judges, different courts, different assessments of the harm. Kaio's burns were more extensive—seventy percent versus fifteen percent. His moral damages award was lower in absolute terms, but he got the lifetime pension. Naiany's disfigurement award was lower. The law allows judges discretion in these calculations.
What happens now?
Kaio's family waits for the state to pay through the precatory system. It could be soon. Naiany's family is still in the early stages. The state has not appealed further, as far as we know. The rulings stand.