Police probe death of baby born to Oprah student

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Oprah’s South African schoolOpening her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, which Winfrey shared on both January 17, 2007 broadcast as well as her February 27, 2007 primetime special, ignited a debate about why she didn’t open a school in the U.S.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Police are investigating whether to file charges after the death of a newborn baby born to a student at Oprah Winfrey’s elite South African high school.

In a statement Monday, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy said it was awaiting the outcome of the police investigation into the birth last week, and providing counseling for students in the wake of the latest controversy surrounding the school outside Johannesburg.

Soon after Winfrey’s school opened in 2007, a dormitory supervisor was accused of trying to kiss and fondle students. The supervisor was acquitted of sexual assault charges last year.

Winfrey has vowed to give bright young women opportunities in a society where they are handicapped by conservative traditions as well as the poor schools that are a legacy of apartheid.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.