Heat precautions taken for kids going back to school

Some valley students are already back at school.

But this triple digit heat has a few parents worried about their children playing outside for recess and P.E.

“That has been my biggest concern. Making sure they stay out of the heat and the sun. I put sunblock on my kids, but you never know, heat strokes could happen,” said mother Jessica Weldon

Another mother, Kari Middleton Hendrix, is worried children are dismissed when they say they are too hot.

“I really think that the school district and teachers need to focus on educating our students about what the signs and symptoms of dehydration are,” Middleton Hendrix said.

But Palm Springs Unified School District said they have a specific protocol for extreme heat.

“We cover such a large area it kind of varies depending on the area, but every principal has a copy of the heat index. They know where to go to find out how the heat is in that area, so they know if it gets into that danger zone,they bring the kids in,” said PSUSD director if elementary curricula and instruction Tony Knapp.

At Cahuilla Elementary School students spent most of their lunch inside, with only 10 minutes of outdoor activity.

They’re one of a few schools lucky enough to use Wii gaming systems when it’s hot so kids can get their exercise inside.

“We come in here and kids get all the exercise they need. They leave here sweating. But they’re doing it in a safe way and not an unsafe way,” said physical education teacher Joshua Otteson.

Even so parents wonder if kids are going back to school too early.

“I do think it’s a little too early. I’m used to the good ole days when it was in September, but it’s what it is,” Weldon said

But the district said the desert heat is inevitable and the earlier start date will help test scores.

“There are multiple factors that went into that and it was trying to bring all parents onto one calendar,” Knapp said.

One thing both parents and the school district can agree on is that the students safety comes first.

PSUSD is in the process of adopting a heat policy.

They have a ranking system for different temperature ranges with specific instructions per range.

Friday would be classified as intense heat. That’s when temperatures are between 105 and 129 degrees.

At that point vigorous activity is cut down and kids are allowed outdoors for recess in the morning.

There is one step above intense heat and that’s when temperatures are 130 degrees and above. At that point all outdoor activity is cut off.

Other school districts have similar protocol.

Desert Sands Unified School District said it’s up to the principal to make a decision each day on the extent of outdoor activity.

Coachella Valley Unified School District has a similar ranking system to PSUSD.