June Shaver, a 17-year-old high school student at West Valley High School, suffered many burns across her body after needing to walk home in 112-degree heat on August 1st, 2025, according to 12News.
When her district changed its transportation policy, Shaver’s intentions for her junior year- such as joining the volleyball team, getting a learner’s permit, and meeting new people- were slammed to a halt after she had to walk miles home in Arizona’s notorious August heat.
Her district changed its policy to make people who live within two radial miles ineligible to take school transportation because “the new boundaries were a necessity to ensure the district can operate in a fiscally responsible manner,” according to an official Dysart High School statement.
Unfortunately for Shaver, her home was just within that range, making her unable to take the bus home.
“With safety as a top priority, we have shared information about safety to and from school, including heat-related precautions, with our families,” remarked the Dysart District in an official statement released to press outlets.
However, Shaver’s guardians were still at work, and she hadn’t gotten a learner’s permit yet, causing her to be unable to take a car home.
So, Shaver chose to walk home, beginning to suffer from heatstroke along the way.
“I started hallucinating, I felt like I could see someone walking towards me, but it felt like it was like that for hours,” said Shaver after the incident, according to ABC15 Arizona News.
Shaver eventually succumbed to the heat, passing out on the hot pavement and receiving second to third-degree burns all over her body.
However, a man walking by saw her on the ground and called 911 immediately, saving her life.
According to 12News, “It was literally a matter of minutes and she wouldn’t be here,” remarked Shaver’s grandfather, Larry Shaver.
After the incident, Shaver was hospitalized for all of August to recover from her burns.
According to ABC15 Arizona News, Shaver said, “Remembering what happened, it just sort of bugs me. I wanted to be able to have a normal year.”
However, she is keeping a positive attitude about her situation, still hoping to get her learner’s permit and stop her tragedy from recurring.
Larry Shaver stated in an interview with The Arizona Republic, “Her spirits are probably better than ours are, actually.”
Although the school’s system change may have led to the incident, according to 12News, Larry Shaver said, “I’m not mad at the district. I understand that they have a budget, just I think there were better ways they could do it.”
The high school district had attempted to pass a bond in November 2024 that would have addressed this issue; however, it wasn’t passed.
According to The Arizona Republic, Dysart Unified Spokesperson Renee Ryon addressed the limits on transportation: “With the majority of our buses being 15-20 years old, it is becoming more and more difficult and expensive to maintain them.”
The failed bond would have given them more funding for transportation, allowing them to not need the 2-mile radius rule.
Following the tragic event, the district is attempting to pass the same bond again in November to prevent this incident from happening again.
“It has been over 19 years since voters have approved a bond for Dysart, which has impacted a number of needed projects, including bus replacements, along with school safety improvements, AC unit replacements, roof repairs, building a new elementary school, and obtaining land for a high school,” as the Dysart District stated in an official statement.
Shaver hopes the bond will be passed, stating, “I’m more so not wanting it to happen to anyone else,” according to ABC15 Arizona News.
