Ashlynn Hurst said she was terrified when she drove her 5-year-old son to the emergency room, where he was treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration about two weeks ago. She said the situation could have been avoided if her son’s kindergarten teacher at Mokapu Elementary School had let him have his water bottle.

Hurst is among other parents at the Kailua school who filed police reports claiming their children were denied access to water.

“That was definitely terrifying for me because I’m not sure what exactly is going to happen,” Hurst said Tuesday of her son’s 3-1/2-hour emergency room stay. “This would’ve been easily preventable.”

State Department of Education spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz said school officials are not investigating the case because the principal, Chuck Fradley, determined that “the situation has been addressed.” 

“In regards to this situation, the principal met with the teacher,” Dela Cruz said. “When they (principals) make the decisions at the school levels, we entrust them and their leadership to make the decision.”

Dela Cruz added that school officials “ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, and that includes making sure water is accessible to our students.”

Two parents who filed reports declined to name the teacher.

But Hurst said problems started at the beginning of the school year when her son’s teacher would not allow students to leave water bottles on their desks, but rather at the sink. Students needed to ask permission to drink water, which Hurst said the teacher repeatedly denied. She also said the teacher refused to use fans donated by parents in her classroom.

The day she drove her son to the emergency room, Hurst said the boy had repeatedly told the teacher he was feeling sick but was not sent to the school nurse.

Sara Garcie, whose daughter was in the same classroom as Hurst’s son, said she experienced similar problems. She said her 5-year-old would come home with her Hydro Flask almost full. She said her daughter’s temperature would measure about 100 degrees after school.

She said that after talking to the principal several times about her concerns, she felt it was time to file a police report.

Concerns have been raised recently about high temperatures in the state’s classrooms. The DOE estimates that it will cost $1.7 billion to install air conditioning in all of its schools. Mokapu Elementary is not on the DOE’s air conditioning priority list, which ranks Ewa Beach Elementary, Ilima Intermediate and Campbell High as top priorities. The high temperatures have prompted several businesses, community members and parents to donate fans and air conditioning units to schools.

Garcie and Hurst said their children have been in better environments after they were transferred to different classrooms one to two weeks ago.

“We’re grateful that she’s in a classroom that she’s safe,” Garcie said. “(But) this isn’t something that you should sweep under the rug.”