Boy, 12, dies at school after being forced to run for 'wearing the wrong clothes', family claims
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe/facebook/janeewashington
A 12-year-old boy died after being allegedly forced to run in high temperatures for not bring his gym kit to school, his family have claimed.
Yahshua Robinson tragically died during his physical education class on 29 August.
His family also claim that he was ignored by a teacher as he pleaded for help.
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The incident took place at Canyon Lake Middle School at 11am, as temperatures soared to the low to mid 90s°F.
According to his aunt, Amarna Plummer, Yahshua did not bring the correct clothes to gym class and was told to run on the field for not bringing in his kit.
According to other students, he began feeling unwell and sought assistance, she said.
Plummer told NBC4 Los Angeles: "He was reaching out to the teacher, saying he needed some water. He said he couldn't breathe. He was telling the kids this."
His condition would deteriorate rapidly, leaving Yahshua to collapse on the field, she said.
Although emergency responders were quick to the scene, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
His family are now outraged and devastated, with Plummer saying: "Why would you have a child in his clothes – he didn't dress out – running a field?"
His aunt said that Robinson's mother is a physical education instructor at another school in the same district and that she had alerted school administrators about the heat, however, it is unknown which administrator she'd spoken to.
Plummer said: "She informs the administration, 'Do not let any children go out today for PE,' and what happened? She gets a call he passed out on the field."
When approached for comment by NBC4, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District said: "We are saddened to confirm the death of one of our students due to a medical emergency at one of our LEUSD campuses."
They did not speak on whether Robinson was wearing his gym clothes at the time of his death, the outlet also reported.
UNILAD have reached out to Lake Elsinore Unified School District for further comment.
Plummer remains firm in her demand that someone be held accountable for her nephew's death, saying: "This is terrible. It happened on somebody else's watch."
She has since set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Yahshua's funeral.
With a $100,000 target, more than $49,000 has been raised so far.
On the page, Plummer wrote: "Janae & Eric Robinson and their three other children are trying to come to terms with this devastating reality.
"The agony of losing a child is indescribable, and as we wait with heavy hearts for the autopsy results, we are reminded of the unpredictability of life."