When 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson died while jogging in PE class in triple-digit temperatures, his mother couldn’t help but feel that the tragedy could have been avoided.
Now, a little over a year later, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill aimed at ensuring that all California students are better protected during heat waves.
Senate Bill 1248 – known as Yahushua’s Law – would require public schools to adopt uniform safety guidelines when exercising during inclement weather. Robinson’s family was instrumental in bringing this legislation to Newsom’s desk.
“This law symbolizes a commitment to the safety of children and an expression of Yahushua’s values ​​in recognizing our shared humanity in every student,” said Christina Laster, an attorney for the Robinson family, in a statement about the bill.
Yahushua died in August 2023 after collapsing in his PE class at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore. The high temperature that day was 107 degrees.
The boy died of a heart attack, as a result of the heat and hard work that contributed, according to a report from the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau.
His mother, Jane Robinson, is a PE teacher in the same school district and told ABC7 that she kept her students inside on that sweltering day.
“These students should not have gone outside, thinking that my child died while my students were inside,” he told the station.
Yahushua’s law, which will take effect in July 2026, would eliminate the need for teacher discretion during extreme heat by requiring districts to use a common set of guidelines to keep students safe. The bill would also require states to develop policies for other types of hazardous weather — such as low air quality or high winds.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield).
“No student should lose his life at school because of extreme weather when we can take steps to protect him by preparing state programs to reduce exposure to the most dangerous exposures,” he said in a statement. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson … for lending their emotional strength and compassion to others to help ensure that no other student loses his life in this way.”
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