When 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson died while running during physical education class in triple-digit temperatures, his mother couldn’t help but think the tragedy was preventable.
Now, a little over a year later, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill aimed at ensuring all California students are better protected during heat waves.
Senate Bill 1248 – dubbed Yahushua’s Law – will require public schools to adopt uniform safety guidelines for physical activity during extreme weather conditions. Robinson’s family played a key role in getting the bill to Newsom’s desk.
“This law symbolizes a commitment to child safety and the embodiment of Yahushua’s values by recognizing our shared humanity in every student,” Robinson Family Advocate Christina Laster said in a statement on the bill.
Yahushua died in August 2023 after collapsing during physical education class at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore. The high temperature that day was 107 degrees.
The boy died of a heart defect, caused by heat and physical exertion, according to a report from the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.
Her mother, Janee Robinson, is a physical education teacher in the same school district and told ABC7 she kept her students indoors on the extremely hot day.
“Those students should not have been outside and thinking that my child died while my students were inside,” she told the station.
The Yahushua Act, which takes effect in July 2026, will eliminate the need for teacher discretion during heat waves by requiring districts to implement a standard set of guidelines to keep students safe. The bill will also require districts to create policies for other types of hazardous weather conditions, such as poor air quality or high winds.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield).
“No student should ever lose their life on campus due to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to exposure elements the most harmful,” she said in a statement. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson…for lending their emotional strength and compassion to others to ensure that no other student lost their life in this way.”
