School receives citations related to rescue of students near Hoover Dam for no true emergency

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KVVU/Gray News) - A school in Arizona said they’ve received two citations related to the rescue of a group of students hiking near the Hoover Dam, but the school said there was never a true emergency.

The Marvelous Microschool in Kingman, Arizona, said in a letter sent to parents that multiple details previously reported by the National Park Service about the hike and subsequent rescue are incorrect.

“I am sure by this point, many of you saw the news regarding our hiking trip yesterday. If you haven’t, then this information may come as quite a shock, but bear with me,” Dr. Catherine Normoyle, an for the Marvelous Microschool, said in the letter.

On Thursday, the National Park Service reported park rangers at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area responded to “a large-scale rescue involving 28 hikers, three adults and 25 children with special needs.” The Park Service said that the group was hiking to the Arizona Hot Springs but was not adequately prepared.

In the letter, obtained by KVVU, Normoyle disputed the Park Service’s report and said that the group included 10 adults and 18 students. She said that only three of the students “are identified as ‘special needs’ per their education.”

Normoyle also stated that each student was asked to bring a gallon of water, and the group was never lost on the trail during the hike.

She said while the group was returning to the parking lot, a student began to feel ill.

“When the first student began to feel ill, we were two miles from the parking lot on the return trip (that is about 75% of the way back),” she said. “It made more sense to go ahead.”

A student called Search and Rescue during the trip, the letter reported.

“The students did what they thought was right. I applaud them for that,” Normoyle said.

However, she said the student was unaware that a plan the school has for students struggling with the hike had already been enacted.

The school received two citations in the incident, for not having a permit and creating hazardous conditions. The school said it didn’t know it needed a permit and will pay the fine.

“Unfortunately, other than this procedure, I am not sure what else can be done,” Normoyle said. “This is an unfortunate event, and I am sorry it happened. I am so grateful that everyone is OK.”

Normoyle said the student who felt ill is “100% fine” and was discharged from the emergency department before the rest of the students returned home.

Future school hikes have been terminated, according to Normoyle’s letter, which continues, “One day we may resume them, but not soon.”

FOX5 has reached out to the National Park Service for a response to Normoyle’s letter.

The Arizona Hot Springs Trail and nearby Goldstrike Trail at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area were temporarily closed due to “dangerously high temperatures.” The National Park Service said a heat-related fatality and multiple rescues led to the closure.

The trails reopened Sunday, the National Park Service announced, after temperatures cooled and conditions in the canyons improved.

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