DSUSD reminds schools to follow proper heat practices as excessive temperatures continue
Class is back in session across the Coachella Valley which means schools have had to deal with the high temperatures to keep their students safe. All districts within the valley have some form of heat safety protocols in place which school are expected to follow.
However, some parents from DSUSD have voiced their concerns about the lack of outdoor heat protection and indoor seating options at their children's schools during recess, lunch periods and at pick-up areas.
News Channel 3 spoke with parents last week regarding their concerns about the lack of heat safety practices being implemented by their children's schools including a lack of shade and access to cool indoor areas like multi-purpose rooms and classrooms during periods of excessive heat.
A representative from the Desert Sands Unified School District said that their risk management team sends out weekly emails to every principal in the district detailing the expected temperatures per the National Weather Service with corresponding heat guidelines.
DSUSD parents called upon the district to make more concrete changes to their heat safety practices as they reported that children were experiencing heat-related illness symptoms such as nausea, headaches and nosebleeds.
This week, some parents have reported improvements made by their children's schools. DSUSD said that they did not ask school principles to make any specific changes but instead reminded them to implement the heat practices that are already in place.
“If there were situations where there weren't as many opportunities to have that respite from the heat, then they definitely have worked to make sure that there are situations in rooms and opportunities for the children to be inside in the air conditioning," said DSUSD, Public Information Officer, Mary Perry.
Charlene Magdaleno’s is one of the parents News Channel 3 interviewed--she too says there have been improvements made at her child's school in the last week including expanded indoor access. However, Magdaleno is still disappointed as her child is still eating lunch outdoors, and allowed inside only after finishing her meal.
“I got this wonderful newsletter, you know, saying that we're going to be having, you know, it was we're opening up the multipurpose room for everybody to have lunch in. And yesterday, I got phone calls from about seven moms and their kids. And it wasn't the case," said Magdaleno.
Magdaleno is now taking her concerns up with the Riverside County Office of Education.
"What I'm really hoping for moving forward is that they will implement a summer plan that is universal for every school within their district," said Magdaleno.
In addition to creating a concrete heat safety plan, parents like Magdaleno also called upon the district to allocate funding for improved heat protection infrastructure.
DSUSD representatives said that the district has continued working on directing redevelopment funds towards additional shaded areas and outdoor cooling systems.
