Kids at Jackson Junior High School in Amador County, California, were sat outside in record temperatures to punish them for making a mess in the school gym, reports ABC News: one parent describes it as "torture" and others claimed their children became sick as a result. A nearby airport recorded 111.9° temperatures that day.
"The sixth-graders had made a mess in the gym, which is where they had been eating lunch. On Tuesday when they went back to school, the vice principal decided to make them eat outside in their soccer field that has no shade at the hottest part of the day," [parent Kody] Cain said. … Tori Gibson, superintendent for Amador County Public Schools, said there are protocols in place for extreme heat. Those protocols include directing staff that students remain indoors after 10 a.m. on Tuesday and through the rest of the week.
Two staff members were briefly put on paid administrative leave. The school district said that "errors were made" and admitted that collective punishment of children with the baking midday heat contravened policy, but decided that "no one acted with bad intent" and concluded its investigation.
"We have concluded our investigation and determined that errors were made at the site and our policy was not fully implemented. However, we also determined that no one acted with bad intent or to purposely put children in an unsafe situation. We are using this as a learning opportunity for all of our administrative team to reinforce our safety protocols surrounding extreme weather, improve our communication among schools, students, and families, and train employees on the dangers of excessive heat exposure," a statement from the school district sent to KCRA 3 on Friday reads.
Onward to the great American choice: lawsuits or violence.
