Responsibility of School Officials.

I recently read a story about a 15-year old boy who collapsed in Louisville, KY after football practice. The coach, David Jason Stinson, is being charged with reckless homicide as well as wanton endangerment. The coach allegedly made the players practice rigorously without a break for at least 40 minutes. Douglas Casa, an associate professor of heat and hydration issues at the University of Connecticut, stated that 15-year old, Max Gilpin's temperature was very high for more than an hour. His temperature was 107 even an hour after he collapsed. Anytime your body temperature is over 105 degrees for an extended period of time it can be fatal. It this case it was fatal. Max died three days after being admitted to the hospital for having a heat stroke. Max was not the only one showing signs of heat stroke. Casa told the jurors during the trial of Coach Stinson that 8 to 10 other players showed signs of heat stroke as well.

My kids are not quite old enough yet to be doing football practice but they are kids and they do play; play hard in fact. I know during the summer I make sure my kids take breaks all the time from playing. They get mad at me and think I am being mean but one day they will realize that I was protecting them. As well as taking breaks they drink nothing but water when they are playing outside. Again they think that I am punishing them for some reason but they will realize that it is for their health. My kids aren’t the only one that I look out for. I always make sure I have a couple of cases of bottled water around during the summer for the other kids in the neighborhood. I am always passing out water for them when they are playing outside or I will let them come inside my house with the air conditioner on to cool off. They come inside and sit for 15 or 20 minutes and then they are allowed to go back outside.

My kids are my life. I could not imagine what the parents of the football player is going through. I completely understand why they are suing the coach. Not only should he face criminal charges but I feel that he should face a civil suit as well. He should be responsible for paying some or the entire funeral. I mean these parents, I’m sure, thought they had more time with their child and he would be planning their funeral not the other way around. Money is not going to bring their boy back but it will help with expenses they should not have to endure but are because of the coaches’ neglect and irresponsibility. I truly hope I never have to go through what these parents are going through.