A middle school in Arkansas is being investigated by the Department of Human Services after allegations that kids were being forced to sit on the pavement in 95-degree temperatures as punishment for being disruptive in the cafeteria, our content partner KAIT 8 News reported.

After picking her son up from Brookland Middle School on Thursday, Rebecca Sylvest noticed he was more tired than usual and was not hungry for a snack, which Sylvest noted was out of the ordinary.

She didn't think anything of it until she heard what heard what happened from other parents.

"There's so many other kinds of punishments they have done," Sylvest said. "They could've taken them in, had them write sentences -- anything -- but having them sit on the black asphalt for the whole 30 minutes is wrong."

Sylvest said she doesn't know where the idea for sitting on the asphalt as punishment came from but wished the safety of students in that type of heat had been considered.

A spokesperson for Brookland Middle School released the following statement:

Last week, an incident occurred where Brookland Middle School 5th grade students were instructed to sit on the pavement during recess as a punishment for being disruptive in the cafeteria. Due to the hot temperatures last week, this type of punishment was inappropriate and should not have occurred. The matter was reported to the Child Maltreatment Hotline, and DHS is now investigating. The District is also conducting its own investigation to determine how this incident happened and ensure that it does not occur in the future. Brookland School Officials apologize to the parents and students affected and want all parents to know that the safety of their students is of the utmost importance. Parents may report their concerns to the superintendent’s office.