The family of a 12-year-old boy who died after collapsing during a physical education class in the scorching heat said his teacher ignored him when he pleaded for a drink of water before his death.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Yahshua Robinson was outside with his classmates at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore, California. The students participated in P.E. class outdoors as the temperature reached the low-to-mid 90s.
The young boy reportedly passed out on Tuesday due to the scorching heat and was taken to a nearby hospital around 11 a.m., per the outlet. Robinson wasn’t “dressed appropriately” for P.E. class and was punished by being forced to run for not having proper attire.
His aunt, Amarna Plummer, said several students recalled Robinson feeling ill after running, and she said the teacher ignored his plea for help.
“He was reaching out to the teacher, saying he needed some water. He said he couldn’t breathe. He was telling the kids this,” Plummer said, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The 12-year-old’s condition worsened, and he collapsed on the field. Emergency responders arrived at the scene and transported Robinson to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Plummer demanded answers from school officials after the teacher made her nephew run in the scorching heat as a punishment for not wearing his P.E. clothes.
“Why would you have a child in his clothes — he didn’t dress out — running a field?” Plummer said.
