P.E. class just got too hot to handle!
About a half dozen students at Lincoln Middle School say they were severely burned Tuesday after being forced to do push ups on scorching hot blacktop in the midday sun.
The 11 to 14 year-olds say at least one teacher ignored repeated requests to stop.
“My daughter told the teacher that her hands were getting burned and she was told to put her hands on the white line and continue,” one eighth grade mother tells The Sun.
Speaking anonymously out of fear of retribution toward her child, the parent added: “When a child says, ‘I’m getting burned,’ action should have been taken right away!”
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Reports of the dangerous conditions at the school began to surface overnight.
One parent described her son coming home with blistered hands in extreme pain.
Other caregivers described burnt and black knees and severe sunburns from being outdoors during the entire 90 minute block.
The school does not supply sunscreen and students are required to wear face masks outside.
Jenny Mitchell’s eight grader returned home with a severe sunburn and described the uncomfortable conditions students were put in during class.
“She said many kids spoke up about their hands burning, but the teacher said they would be fine and carried on,” Mitchell told The Sun.
“I think the teacher knew this was happening because it had happened in the earlier classes.
“My issue is how can kids learn to self-advocate when they are dismissed?” she said.
“And it wasn’t one kid, it was several. How are they expected to endure this when the Santa Ana’s kick in and it’s 95 degrees outside?”
Principal Florence Culpepper said she was unaware of the concerns when contacted by The Sun this morning.
“Your email message is the first I heard of this since no parents reached out to me directly,” she replied.
“We will investigate this matter and address the concerns with the teacher and the entire PE department, so we can prevent anything like this from happening in the future.
“We recommend that parents always start by contacting the teacher and school directly if there is a concern and allow us an opportunity to address the issue.”
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