RVC BOE feels the heat after Riverside students are stricken

Angry parents from Riverside Elementary School gave school administrators and trustees a tongue lashing at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, calling for improved communication, revised emergency procedures and guidelines for how school officials and parents should handle heat waves and other extreme weather events.

Parents also called for a look at why the multipurpose room at Riverside, used as a gym, cafeteria and auditorium, gets so hot, along with ways to manage it and whether alternative venues can be found when high temperatures are predicted.

On June 9, hours before a line of heavy thunderstorms brought near-record highs down some 20 degrees, 10 students and one teacher at the school were treated for heat-related illnesses in an incident that got wide media publicity. Parents described a scene of confusion and panic. Six students were taken to local hospitals by Rockville Centre fire and police personnel — five to South Nassau Communities Hospital and one to Mercy Medical Center. All were hydrated and released within an hour. The stricken teacher was also treated and released. School officials said that other children who showed signs of heat exhaustion were taken home by their parents.

At the time of the incident, slightly after 2 p.m., 164 youngsters had been taking part in a dress rehearsal for a concert later that day which was ultimately cancelled. They were standing on risers and singing. In addition to ceiling vents, the room had four fans that were on. There was some dispute about how hot it was in the room, and when and where readings were taken.

“We always err on the side of caution,” said school Superintendent Dr. William Johnson, who also told parents their children’s safety is of paramount concern. “So the call will go out if there’s any suggestion that there is a problem that our nurse in the building is not prepared to handle.”