Davis County students run for shelter during hail storm, tornado warning after early release

CLEARFIELD — Students in the Davis School District are still reeling from Friday's dramatic weather events, when hail and a tornado warning hit just after they had been released early from school.

Elementary students in the Davis School District are released at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. The tornado warning for Davis County was issued at 1:45 p.m., with rain, hail and winds pelting students in the moments leading up to the warning. Many students were caught outside and on their way home when hail the size of ping-pong balls started raining down and the tornado warning was issued.

Hill Field Elementary School Assistant Principal Jessica Miller said she was inside when the severe weather started. Parents and kids were crowding the hallway, and some students were crying.

"I quickly just got one student who was crying hysterically. He's telling me that he was hit in the head," Miller explained. "He didn't know what it was, and so I'm like, 'What? Who hit you in the head?' and then come to find out it was hail. The hail just came out of nowhere, and they were like the size of golf balls or ping-pong balls."

Miller said it was all hands on deck, trying to get kids inside or under shelter. According to Miller, the school's principal had welts on her arms, and several students described being bombarded by the hail in those moments.

"It just started hailing really fast, and whoever had an umbrella was taking a group and getting them back inside the building. Other parents were just inviting other students to get into their cars for shelter. There were parents with babies and newborn babies ... in their strollers. I was looking at the camera, and there were bikes that were just left so that kids could run for shelter," Miller described.

Students and staff also heard a garbled message from the loudspeaker on Hill Air Force Base, adjacent to the school, issuing the tornado warning. They were told to seek shelter.

The Davis School District does not have a specific emergency protocol for hail or tornadoes, Miller explained. However, its Emergency Response Guide does address high wind events. It dictates that if people are outside, they should "seek shelter in a building and stay away from windows."

Miller said that even though the school day had already ended and students had already left, their staff automatically moved toward shelter-in-place.

"Our day doesn't end until we know all students are safe," she said.

Miller expressed that even though it was a very traumatic experience, it was encouraging to see a lot of people, including staff, parents and other students, coming together to support each other and get everyone to safety.

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