By Chris Sheldon
nj.com
PATERSON, N.J. — As temperatures in the area soared to nearly 100 degrees Monday, 150 attendees of two high school graduation ceremonies for the Paterson School district were treated for heat exhaustion, officials said.
Another 16 were sent to the hospital for treatment for more serious levels of heat exhaustion during the course of the two ceremonies, Paterson Fire Department Deputy Chief Jason Macones told NJ Advance Media.
The first ceremony was held from 9-11:30 a.m. and featured graduation ceremonies for International High School and John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, according to a school district calendar.
The second began at 12:30 p.m. for the remaining high schools including Eastside High School and P-TECH High School.
“During the first graduation ceremony we treated approximately 50 people and transported nine and for the second graduation, we treated approximately 100 people and transported seven,” Macones said.
However, the second ceremony was cut short after about an hour when city officials noticed the growing number of people being treated by EMTs for heat-related issues, according to a report by NorthJersey.com.
Paterson School District Superintendent Laurie Newell could not be reached for comment Monday night.
In a statement to NorthJersey.com, Newell said, “In anticipation of high temperatures, the district implemented numerous precautionary measures to help keep everyone safe. These included on-site EMTs, multiple cooling stations, cold bottled water, shaded areas, wet paper towels, ice, and large industrial fans to provide airflow.”
She said in the statement that the heat caused “some attendees to experience discomfort and require medical attention.”
NorthJersey.com reported that the graduates sat in folding chairs on artificial turf while family members were in grandstands made of concrete and that none of them were in the shade.
Mayor Andre Sayegh said that he suggested to some school board members that Monday’s ceremonies should be held indoors, according to the NorthJersey.com report.
Temperature readings at Newark Liberty International Airport, the main weather monitoring station in New Jersey, hit 98 degrees at about 1:15 p.m., then rose to 100 degrees by 2 p.m. and to 101 degrees by 3 p.m., setting the site’s new all-time record high for June 23. Many towns hovered in the high 90s or 100 degrees Monday afternoon.
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