A student in Nantong, Jiangsu province, died in an apparent fall from his fifth-floor home after being told off by a teacher for using a cellphone in class, thepaper.cn reported on Monday.

Cao Wei was scolded on Friday after being spotted using a phone during a morning lesson at Tongzhou Senior High School. One of his parents was also summoned to discuss the boy’s behavior.

Afterward, the boy asked to go home for lunch and promised to return for afternoon classes. However, news broke around 1 pm that Cao had been found dead outside his apartment block.

Police said on Sina Weibo on Friday that an investigation at the scene had ruled out foul play.

One of Cao’s relatives said the boy had only used a handset to check the time, as there was no SIM card inside, but the teacher still scolded him for a long time.

A vice-principal at the school defended the teacher and said there was no evidence of improper behavior.

Zheng Yumeng contributed to this story.