LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — It’s been just over one year since 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson collapsed during a P.E. class and later died during a heat wave in Lake Elsinore.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1248 also known as Yahushua’s Law, which requires the California Department of Education to create extreme weather guidelines, procedures and safety protocols for California school districts by 2026

  • The law is named after 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson, who collapsed during a P.E. class a year ago and later died during a heat wave in Lake Elsinore

  • The California Department of Education declined to comment on the new law

  • In response to the newly signed bill, Valdez said, “Lake Elsinore Unified School District (LEUSD) is aware of the recent passage of SB 1248, which affects all Local Education Agencies in California. We will review the legislation and work side our educational partners as guidelines are available”

According to the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Coroner’s Report, Robinson’s cause of death was linked to a heart defect with heat exposure and physical exertion listed as contributing factors.

It’s a loss his mother, Janee Robinson, said came with an outpouring of support from his peers and an emptiness within her home.

“It’s just been hard. It’s been rough. Broken. We’ve been broken. This has broken us,” Robinson said.

Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1248 also known as Yahushua’s Law, which requires the California Department of Education to create extreme weather guidelines, procedures and safety protocols for California school districts by 2026.

Spectrum News reached out to the California Department of Education for comment.

After multiple attempts, the department did not provide comment on the current guidelines in place or about the new requirements. Robinson said she’s hoping this will protect more children.

“I’m ecstatic for the bill and how it’s going to help other students because I’m in the industry. I am an educator that works outside so it would also help me, you know, and protect me,” she said. “It’s bittersweet because he’s not here.”

Spectrum News also reached out to the Lake Elsinore Unified School District.

When asked about guidelines during the Airport Fire, District Public Information Officer Melissa Valdez said “LEUSD closely monitored conditions during the quickly developing situation, adjusting daily schedules and ultimately closed schools for a period due to active evacuation orders in our area.”

In response to the newly signed bill, Valdez said, “Lake Elsinore Unified School District (LEUSD) is aware of the recent passage of SB 1248, which affects all Local Education Agencies in California. We will review the legislation and work aside our educational partners as guidelines are available.”

Valdez did not provide a comment about District guidelines in place on the day Yahushua Robinson died.

State Sen. Melissa Hurtado who introduced the bill, said the new requirements will protect more students.

“It’s a big victory for all students across California especially those that are in areas where there is extreme heat like the Central Valley or the Inland Empire. We want to make sure we protect students from preventable deaths when there is extreme heat when they are at schools, and this is going to have a uniformed plan in place,” Hurtado said.

While the bill is a step forward for Robinson and her family, each step she takes up her family home’s stairs is a constant reminder of her son’s now-empty room.

“You usually will hear, ‘Aw man!’ and then you’ll hear him throwing the controller and then I’d have to yell his name like ‘If this got your emotions all over the place, you have to get off.’ ‘OK mom. No, mom! No, mom!’ Now, it’s nothing. It’s just as silent as it is right now.”

Robinson said her family will continue to advocate for more extreme weather protections for all schools.