By The newspaper
02 Sep 2023, 13:27 PM EDT
The 12-year-old boy who died in California this week after being forced to run in sweltering heat during a physical education class allegedly begged for water before passing out, the family told NBC News in Los Angeles.
It was 11 am last Tuesday when Yahshua Robinson was jogging at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore and he started to feel sick.
Temperatures reached 90 °F in the area that August 29.
According to Amarna Plummer, her nephew was not wearing proper clothing for outdoor activities and was forced to jog as punishment.
When he began to feel unwell, the minor told the teacher that he needed water.
Apparently the request was not granted.
“He said he couldn’t breathe. I would tell the kids,” Plummer told the outlet.
When Robinson passed out on the field, emergency personnel transported him to Loma Linda University Medical Center. There he was pronounced dead at 12:55 pm, the Riverside Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“Why did they force a boy dressed like that (he didn’t change his clothes) to run in a field?” the relative questioned.
The boy’s mother is a physical education instructor at another school in the district and had allegedly alerted school administrators about the risks of physical activity in sweltering temperatures.
“She told the administration, ‘Don’t let any kids go to PE today.’ And what happened? Then she received the call that she (her son) fainted in the field, ”added the interviewee.
Lake Elsinore District school authorities issued a statement stating that they sadly confirmed the death of a student due to a medical emergency on campus.
They added that campus counselors assisted both students and staff.
Plummer created a GoFundMe page for the public to help the parents of the minor alleviate the financial pressure that the tragedy has brought.
“The void that Yahshua leaves is deep. Janae and Eric Robinson and their three other children are trying to come to terms with this devastating reality. The agony of losing a child is indescribable, and as we wait for the autopsy results we reflect on how unpredictable life is,” he commented in the campaign description.
As of this Saturday, more than $66,000 in donations had been collected through the initiative.