HARRISON CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Parents are upset after they say a district-wide assembly in Harrison County left students sunburned and dehydrated Thursday afternoon.
Groundbreaking for the new Harrison County High School is the talk of the town – but not because locals are excited about it.
An assembly gathered students K-12 from across the county, but parents say their students were left outside in the sun without water for hours.
“He looked like he was going to pass out when I picked him up at school yesterday,” said one parent about her son.
Another parent shared her son “had to help his friend walk back to the school after he had passed out from heat exhaustion.”
One high school junior, Landon Kinney, said, “I know personally there were some of my friends who did end up passing out in the stadium.”
Kinney estimated they were outside from noon to around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. He also complimented the teachers' efforts.
“The kids that were sick, [the teachers] brought them under the bleachers to get some shade at least to get out of the hot sun and stuff,” Kinney said.
While the groundbreaking took place behind the football field, the students were left in and around the stands during the ceremony.
“Most of the parents feel as if this was about attendance and a photo op,” said one parent, Bethany Cox.
“Water wasn’t provided at all over here and that’s what was the complete disaster because there was no shade and no water,” Kinney added.
The assembly conditions are just part of the controversy. Parents were also upset about being notified by a Facebook post in the middle of the day, Thursday, about an alleged threat to Harrison County Schools discovered the night before.
“As parents, it’s our decision to decide whether or not they need to be in school, not the school,” said Jeannette Mullins.
Cox added, “we should’ve been made aware before our children entered their classroom that morning.”
“That just goes right back to communication,” said Kinney. “Like I just wish something would have been communicated.”
Parents will have the opportunity to hear from the school district during a special board meeting on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.
“We want answers.” Cox said. “We want to know why this happened and what’s going to prevent this from happening again.”
Earlier today, Harrison County Public Schools released this statement:
“Yesterday, Harrison County Schools took the opportunity to celebrate a special time for our students, staff and the community, the construction of the new Harrison County High School. We wanted to include all students and staff with an opportunity to hear from community leaders about the importance of the new high school but more importantly how their ability to take advantage of opportunities as students relates to their futures.
The event was going very well but the increased heat with extended time in the sun became too much for some of our students. These students received treatment at our first aid location and are receiving follow ups by the school nurse.
We regret that any student, staff or guest experienced any condition that required immediate attention but are thankful for the quick response by our nursing staff.
We will be conducting a debriefing session to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our planning. We know our parents place their most precious asset in our trust and we will be working hard to rebuild any reduction in that trust as a result of yesterday’s event.”
