California school launches investigation; students sent outside for lunch in heat wave
Two staff members at a Northern California junior high school have been placed on administrative leave after students there were sent outside to eat lunch Tuesday as a lengthy heat wave created dangerous conditions throughout the region.
The Amador County Unified School District learned late Tuesday afternoon that students at Jackson Junior High School were directed to eat their lunch outdoors, according to a letter to parents from Superintendent Torie Gibson.
Gibson said the school district has protocols in place for excessive heat days which specify that students eat lunch indoors. She said the same protocols are in place for days of extreme cold temperatures.
“We expect all staff at all school sites to follow guidelines and directives established to ensure the safety of all students and staff during extreme weather,” Gibson wrote in the letter posted online. “As soon as I learned of the situation, we began to investigate the allegations brought forth as we take the safety of our students and staff extremely seriously.”
Gibson said two school staff members were placed on paid administrative leave pending a full investigation. She said Jackson Junior High was the only campus in the school district that sent students outside to eat lunch; the other campuses kept their students indoors for lunch after 11 a.m. Tuesday.
“Once the investigation is concluded, we will take any necessary corrective action to ensure this does not occur again,” Gibson wrote in the letter.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento said numerous high temperature records were set Tuesday across the interior of Northern California, including downtown Sacramento which broke a 97-year-old heat record when the temperature soared to 116 degrees. Modesto set a new record for September with 112 degrees; Stockton tied an all-time high at 115 degrees.
Sacramento-area schools canceled or scheduled early morning sports activities to help students avoid the sweltering heat. One Del Oro High School football player was hospitalized after collapsing twice during practice late Tuesday afternoon.
The weather service expects the risk of heat-related illness will continue to be “very high” through Friday until temperatures begin to drop in the California Central Valley and the foothills.
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 6:17 PM.
