HOPEWELL – A junior-varsity football player who died Monday afternoon during practice had just finished what the school division called “light drills” in accordance with standard safety protocols for practicing in the heat.
Tuesday’s statement from Hopewell City Public Schools did not mention his identity to “respect the privacy of his family at this time. However, an online obituary from Bland Funeral Home in Petersburg identifies him as Jayvion Rafael Taylor and adds that he "departed this life suddenly" on Aug. 5.
“This 15-year-old young man was considered one of the most genuine and remarkable students our staff have ever worked with,” HCPS spokesperson LaVon Dixon said in the statement. “He was considered a ‘light’ to all who met him and left a lasting impact.”
Hopewell High School cancelled classes Tuesday in part due to issues with the building’s air-conditioning system, but also to offer grief counseling to staff and Taylor's fellow students. Dixon said the school will open on time Wednesday, and counseling will still be offered.
Ten feet from a coach when he collapsed
In Tuesday’s statement, HCPS released a timeline of Monday’s events.
The team was about 40 minutes into practice and was participating in light drills in accordance with Virginia High School League standards. According to National Weather Service records, the air temperature at the time of practice was around 90 degrees with a humidity level near 63%. The heat index – how the temperature feels to the human body – was in the mid-90s.
Players were returning from a water break, and Taylor “collapsed about 10 feet from a coach,” the HCPS statement said. Two other coaches nearby immediately began performing cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation [CPR], and 911 was called.
An automated external defibrillator [AED] device was onsite, HCPS said, but paramedics arrived “promptly and prior to the AED being used.”
EMS personnel continued treatment and rushed Taylor to HCA TriCities Hospital in Hopewell where he was declared dead.
No athletic trainer was in attendance
Hopewell does not have a full-time athletic trainer at the high school but has been advertising for one. Athletic trainers oversee health and wellness programs for student-athletes.
Dixon, the HCPS spokesperson, said that in the interim, the division signed a contract with a company that provides athletic-training services. However, that contract was not scheduled to start until Aug. 12 – next Monday.
The Progress-Index has reached out to HCPS for further comment on who was responsible for athletic training at the practices and has requested through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act a copy of the contract with the training company.
What are VHSL standards for practices in the heat?
According to Virginia High School League standards based on NWS recommendations, any outdoor football practices in a heat-index range of 95-104 degrees should be conducted with no equipment. Participants are encouraged to remain hydrated.
NWS has a four-stage classification of the probability of heat-related disorders due to exposure – “caution,” “extreme caution,” “danger” and “extreme danger.” Monday’s heat index was classified as danger, according to those standards.
When the heat gets that high, coaches are expected to not require players to work out in football gear. Participants usually wear T-shirts and shorts, and take water breaks every 30-40 minutes.
To see the full text of VHSL standards for athletic practices in the heat, go to this website and click below the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee’s “Areas of Involvement” heading.
A hot day at the high school
Monday was an overall day of issues with the heat for Hopewell High School. Students and staff were forced to contend with a malfunctioning air-conditioning system.
Multiple leaks in the system that feeds water to the school’s AC units have been cited as the main cause. The first leak was discovered around 10 a.m., and HCPS said while that was being repaired, another pipe sprung a leak. A third leak was discovered around 1:30 p.m., about 90 minutes before school dismissal time.
HCPS said on social media said leaks have happened “from time to time over the last several years.” The system calls a welder to repair the pipe, and the water in the system is shut off for 30-60 minutes so the leak can be fixed. The water is turned back on after the repair is done.
“That was the plan again (Monday)” after the first leak was discovered, HCPS said.
“However, once the pipe was welded and the water turned back on, another leak developed,” the division statement read. “The water was turned off and that leak was repaired. Again, it was thought to be just a bit longer and the system would be turned back on, as was the case in the earlier instances. And then after the second repair it happened a third time.”
After determining it would take “a few more hours” to fix, HCPS said it considered letting students go home. However, planning issues changed minds.
"At this point, the logistics of launching an early dismissal (given bus drivers were not expecting to be back on duty for a while yet) would take another 60-90 minutes and that would be nearly the same time as the usual dismissal time,” HCPS said. Between the time of the third-leak discovery and the planned dismissal, interior temperatures stayed in the 70s, the school system said.
Repairs were done by 4 p.m., but HCPS decided to monitor the progress of the cooling period overnight. A walkthrough of the building Tuesday morning found inconsistent temperatures, so the decision was made to cancel school for the day.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
