The superintendent of Harrison County Public Schools has apologized after a lengthy outdoor assembly for all children in the district left some of them sick, exhausted and overheated Thursday.
A special board meeting billed as a “community forum for public discussion and Q&A regarding the district-wide assembly” has been called for 6 p.m. Monday at Harrison County High School, the district announced in a Facebook post Friday.
“A whole lot of good people were trying to make this the best day possible,” Superintendent Harry Burchett wrote in a letter addressed to students, parents and staff Friday. “In retrospect, the day ended up being at best uncomfortable and at worst traumatic for others.
“As superintendent, I regret the outcome of the day and am gravely apologetic for the onset of any illness, heat exhaustion or uncomfortableness by our students or staff.”
Burchett said in the letter the assembly was a “celebration event” marking the start of construction of a new Harrison County High School. He said the goal was to share an “uplifting message for our students about their future, their potential within, and the opportunities for growing as learners and leaders.”
Instead, he said the day took on a negative tone “as the length of time in the sun, overheating and exhaustion was just too much for some of our students.”
Students suffering from overheating or heat exhaustion were treated by nurses at a first aid station, Burchett said in an email to the Herald-Leader Saturday. He said officials checked in on those students Thursday evening or Friday, “and all seem to be doing well.”
He said the weather Thursday “varied from partially cloudy with a slight breeze to bright sun and high heat,” and “quickly changed,” contributing to the ill effects on some students.
He wrote in the letter to parents that “teachers and instructional assistants did the absolute best they could to manage student needs under deteriorating conditions.”
Burchett took responsibility for the situation and apologized for the “failures of my leadership to recognize the declining situation” at the event.
In his letter to families Friday, Burchett sought to reassure families that their kids were safe at the event, saying 15 law enforcement officers were providing security.
He said planning for the event had been going on for weeks, taking into account “security, first aid, emergency medical, transportation, logistics, restroom needs” and more.
“As superintendent, I didn’t want to leave anyone out of the important messages delivered on this historic occasion,” Burchett wrote.
He said the event was “not about a photo op, T-shirt, or even the construction of a building.”
The school system posted a statement from Burchett on Facebook before the event in which he addressed rumors about “the possibility of a threat today in Harrison County.”
He said law enforcement had investigated and determined “there never was any threat to the students, staff or community.”
“Today will be a special day of learning and leading as we celebrate the construction kickoff of our new high school in a historic fashion,” Burchett wrote.
Many parents took to social media to express their frustration with the situation.
Some said their children became ill or were sunburned.
Several mentioned that they had not been sent a permission slip to sign before the event.
The Harrison County school system has four elementary schools, as well as one middle school, one high school and a tech center, according to its website.
In response to a question about the permission slips, Burchett said in an email Saturday that three of the district’s schools are off-site from the main campus, and students were transported over to the campus on buses Thursday.
He said parents sign a document at the beginning of each school year to permit that, and parents are notified ahead of such events, which can also include “Battle of the Books, Ag Literacy Day, musical performances and plays.”
None of the five Harrison County school board members responded to emails and texts from the Herald-Leader Saturday.