I just drove back from school after I've got a call, my kid had symptoms of hyperthermia at his tennis (school) club. I'm fuming at the lax rules the school has regarding when they should or should not suspend these outdoor activities, also disgusted about the lack of intention of actually enforcing them. I'm looking for constructive feedback about how to deal with this in terms of how to approach this with the school and/or the club in a successful way.
And now the rant.
We just got back yesterday from our summer vacation, we specifically sat down with the kid and discussed that it's not the best idea to go to his tennis club this morning, because he needs his rest and it's simply too hot outside, even in the morning, to play tennis for three hours. He understood our point, but got up early and went anyway, because "today they'll select the new captain".
Next thing we know, we got a call from his coach, because the kid felt sick, started feeling dizzy, lips turning purple and "he might not be able to walk back home". The coach's words, not mine. He was actually put inside the school building (no air conditioning as far as I saw), but to my surprise, he wasn't even the only one there, 2 more kids were in the same situation.
I questioned the coach about the above mentioned rules, when exactly did they plan to stop the practice, because the other kids were still hitting those balls in the open field. He simply didn't know. Instead, he mumbled about some advisory and was looking at his assistant for help. His assistant mentioned that at some set temperature they're supposed to "lower the intensity of the exercise", but there were already 32 degrees with high humidity at the point of our discussion. Having 3 kids already fallen victims to these conditions is not a red flag in their book, because "the city did not declare any warning or advisory".
This is outrageous. Putting children's health at risk, day by day, for apparently little gain seems ridiculous. I understand the kid's situation as well, can't just make him stay at home and pull him out of his circle, I'm sure social pressure also plays a big part of it.
I'm wondering how to handle this. Making the kid understand the situation is of course a must, but how can one go about and talk with the school about their own lax rules, combined with zero intentions of even enforcing them? I'd like to hear success stories or tips where at least they were some signs of improvement.
by vivasr