Perils, Benefits of ‘Science Weeks’

Orange County school districts should take a close look at the benefits of “science weeks” in the San Bernardino Mountains after the death of 11-year-old Kevin Kelly of Yorba Linda.

The sixth-grader at Woodsboro Elementary School in Anaheim was crossing a creek in the Crab Flats area, near Green Valley Lake, May 7 when he slipped on a rock and was swept over a waterfall. Other children said a counselor had been holding the boy’s hand and immediately jumped in to try to save him.

Kevin’s parents said he was an experienced hiker for his age but also had a learning disability and problems with fine motor skills.

The death was a tragic reminder of the dangers of nature. Of course it’s not just children who are at risk when they trade their normal surroundings--classrooms or offices or factories--for mountains and streams. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has an 1,800-member volunteer rescue squad that is busy year-round searching for lost hikers and skiers.

But it is children who need to be watched most closely. Their abilities to assess risks are not fully formed and their athleticism and vigor often outrun any sense of caution.

Proponents of the week of science study and craft work in the mountains say it has long been a rite of passage and is well supervised. Children love it and benefit from exposure to the glories and drawbacks of life outside cities. Officials at other Orange County schools say the accident was an aberration.

That may be true, but schools could benefit from a reassessment of the outdoor outings to see if there are enough supervisors and if there are safer mountain paths. It may be that seventh or eighth grade would be a more appropriate time for school outings. Parents wanting to expose their children to the beauties of the mountains at an earlier age could do so on their own.

The Placentia-Yorba Linda School District canceled science camps for about 270 sixth-graders from two schools while it investigated Kevin’s death. That was sensible. The district should share its findings with other schools and the county Department of Education to see if changes are needed in the programs.