Coroner cites heart defect, extreme heat in boy’s death during P.E.
Fast Break
Karen Garcia Summer Lin March 25, 2024 It was an There was an excessive heat warning
in Lake Elsinore on the August day
in Lake Elsinore amid an excessive heat warning
when 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson who had been instructed to run died during P.E. class.
Now, a coroner’s report has reportedly found that the boy died of a heart defect,
withand that
heat and physical exertion
aswere
contributing factors.
The findings by the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau were announced soon after the introduction of a Senate bill that
, if passed,
would create rules for California schools on what physical activities can be
alloweddone
during extreme weather
events
.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said deputies went to Canyon Lake Middle School around 11 a.m. on Aug. 29
2023,
after
receiving
a report of a minor needing medical aid. The child was hospitalized and later pronounced dead.
The high temperature in Lake Elsinore
that dayon the day that Yahushua died
was 107 degrees.
The coroner’s report said significant conditions” contributing to
death
but not related to the cause
of death
included presumptive environmental heat exposure and recent physical exertion, the San Bernardino Sun reported.
Yahushua had been sprinting with
the
other students
andbut
was seen “bending over and grabbing at his chest,” according to a description of
the
video footage written by Deputy Coroner Myranda Montez, the Press-Enterprise reported.
Yahushua fell and got back up multiple times and was helped by other students and then by an adult, according to the report. At one point, it appeared Yahushua became unresponsive, and the teacher carried him into shade off-camera, the outlet reported.
The official cause of death was
a
“coronary artery anomaly.”
The
GoFundMe page Amarna Plummer, the boy’s aunt,
created last year to raise money for the boy’s parents is still collecting donations and nearing its $100,000 goal. Plummer wrote on the page, “The void Yahushua leaves behind is profound.”
The Times reached out to the family’s advocate, Christina Laster, for comment but did not receive a
n immediate
response.
before publication.
The California Department of Education
has no rulesdoesn’t have rules
on when
a
severe weather
event
should prompt the cancellation or modification of
a
physical education class
es
. It
instead
leaves the decision to local schools and
their
districts, “with the assistance of other local agencies that monitor air quality and weather.”
“Unhealthy air quality, extreme temperatures, high winds, etc. may present conditions where it is appropriate to modify activity levels or move PE instruction indoors,” the Department of Education says on its website.
The California Department of Public Health provides guidance
for schools
on sports and strenuous activities during extreme heat; however, it’s up to
the
school
s
to implement the guidance.
But
Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-
SangerBakersfield
) has introduced Senate Bill 1248, or Yahushua’s Law, with the aim of bringing uniformity to how California schools respond to extreme weather
events
when it comes to physical activities.
In a news release, Hurtado said the bill would require the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns that are
potentially
harmful to student
s’
health.
No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure, Hurtado said. I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson … for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.
