MOHAVE COUNTY – A local Kingman microschool was given two citations on Thursday, April 10, by the Lake Mead National Park Service (NPS) during a hike on Arizona Hot Springs trail. A Marvelous Microschool student called Search and Rescue and emergency services arrived to the location near Hoover Dam.
According to Fox 5 News who broke the story, the NPS cited the school for “not having a permit and creating hazardous conditions.” Fox also reported on a public post made by the NPS on Facebook which stated that Hot Springs Trail and Goldstrike Trail had been closed following the incident with Marvelous Microschool.
In the post, which has since been removed, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area stated that a “large scale rescue involving 28 hikers, three adults and 25 children with special needs, who attempted to reach Arizona Hot Springs without adequate preparation.”
Marvelous Microschool spokesperson Dr. Catherine Normoyle sent a letter to parents responding to some of the claims. She says in the letter that the number of people in the group was inaccurate, and that there were “10 adults and 18 students in total.”
Regarding the first citation, Dr. Normoyle says she was unaware of a rule that groups of 20 or more required a permit to hike on the trail. She said the school will pay the fine and learn from the lesson.
The letter also refutes the claim that the group was not “adequately equipped,” and that each student was asked to bring a gallon of water with them. “Each student verbally verified with a chaperone that they had a gallon of water,” the letter says. “My mistake was taking the word from the students and not making them physically show me.”
The student that fell ill was not admitted to the hospital and was discharged from the Emergency Department before the rest of the group was home, according to the letter.
Dr. Normoyle says that all future school hikes have been canceled. “This is an unfortunate event and I am sorry it happened. I am so grateful that everyone is ok.”
The National Park Service did not respond to The Standard’s request for comment.
