Parents were horrified and students traumatized after being kept outside for over three hours in extreme heat at a Kentucky high school. Many expressed concern that the students were outside for such a long time, as well as the lack of water or shade for the students to ensure their safety in the high temperatures.
When you’re outside for extended periods of time, especially in high temperatures, it is imperative that you stay hydrated and find other ways to keep cool. Many say the adults in charge should have known this and been able to effectively prevent any heat-related illnesses.
More from CafeMom: How To Help Teens Cope With Back-to-School Anxiety
The students were outdoors in the school's football stadium.
The school held a celebration assembly outdoors for the new Harrison County High School. The event was at the school’s football stadium, and thanks to the 90-degree temperatures that day, many students fell ill during the outside event. Students were out in the sun for nearly three hours, and many experienced sunburns, vomiting, passing out, and were asking for water, news station FOX 56 reported.
Following the event, a special meeting was called.
Officials addressed the concerns.
“I want to apologize, again to my earlier message, to all students, staff, and parents for any individual adverse effects they experience on this day,” Superintendent Dr. Harry Burchett said to the 150 people who showed up at a meeting.
Around 20 people took to the podium to share their concerns. The biggest concern expressed was the lack of water available during the time. The outlet reported that parents were reading text messages from teachers, who said they were splitting two bottles of water for an entire class. Some teachers resorted to giving students ice out of their own water bottles. Burchett denied those claims saying, “Water was available onsite as needed as part of the safety and first aid station.”
Parents called for resignations.
At the meeting, some parents called for the superintendent and other school board members to resign. “In fact, we want you to be involved all the time, not just when you have something to complain about, these are your students, they’re your kids,” school board chair Kristy Casey said.
More from CafeMom: Family of Three, Including 3-Month-Old Baby, Rescued From Mountains After 9-Mile Hike
Parents claimed that the event was traumatic for students.
One student got to the mic and shared her experience. “The picture, the big HC, the big kicker at the end. I managed to get to that before losing consciousness and eventually, you know, having to be taken away,” she said. Her father, who is a doctor in the county, said that the conditions weren’t good, and called for an indoor policy when extreme weather occurs.
Other parents spoke about the ways their children were traumatized by what they witnessed. Many of the parents expressed that their children came home after the event believing that people had died (which was false), and claimed their children didn’t want to return to school.
“I hope that the school takes these matters as serious as all of these parents do and will take the appropriate actions to prevent a reoccurrence of these issues in the future,” one parent said.
The meeting was not an open discussion for the board, but members did say that they will take all the comments into consideration to influence decision making going forward.
