Extreme heat causes early school dismissals, 'unprecedented'
A heat dome causes high temperatures in the US The heat poses risks to people as well as infrastructure.
Cody Godwin, Associated Press
As students return to classrooms, record temperatures amid a late-summer heat wave are causing schools in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast to either close or dismiss students early this week.
The National Weather Service warned Tuesday that a heat wave will “persist across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Thursday and will persist throughout the week in Texas and neighboring states.” Hot weather is expected through the week from Texas to the upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic and Northeast as temperatures rise more than 10 degrees above normal, according to the weather service.
As of Tuesday, more than 61 million people were under heat warnings in some parts of the country, bringing some heat to this year's school season. School districts in several states — including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan — planned to modify their programs by closing or dismissing students early.
The shutdown follows similar decisions made by other regions across the country in late August, when a dome of intense heat blanketed the Midwest and Gulf region. Damaged or non-existent cooling systems at schools in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and other states forced students to close or dismiss students early to deal with the heat.
The weather service at the time described temperatures as “extremely abnormal”, with some areas reaching triple digits.
While school closures due to extreme heat are nothing new, educators said they are becoming more common as climate change causes more extreme weather.
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Thousands of schools without adequate HVAC systems
Experts have urged schools to tackle warmer classrooms and concerns about how extreme heat can affect students. Rising temperatures have also raised questions about funding, as school districts face millions in costs to install, upgrade, operate and maintain heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, according to Exhibition 2021 from the Center for Climate Integrity.
The report noted that more than 13,700 K-12 public schools that did not need cooling systems in 1970 will need them by 2025, at a cost of $40 billion. More than 13,000 additional schools will need to upgrade their existing cooling systems to keep up with the increased cooling capabilities, which will cost more than $414 million, it said.
Some schools find it difficult to install cooling systems
In Ohio, schools in the Canton area were closed Tuesday because of the heat. Heritage Christian Academy Superintendent Sharla Elton told the Massillon Independent, part of the USA TODAY Network, that closings are always a difficult decision, but sometimes inevitable.
“We want kids in school and learning, but if it's not going to be a comfortable learning environment, we have to weigh the decision,” Elton said.
Heritage Christian's four-story building, which was built nearly 100 years ago, has limited air conditioning, Elton said. There is no air conditioning in the classrooms or common areas.
A project is underway to add air conditioning to common areas, including the library, cafeteria, auditorium, and STEAM and computer labs. The $250,000 project is expected to be completed next spring.
But unlike Heritage Christian, public schools across the country are struggling to find the funding to install or upgrade their cooling systems.
Shane Bergan, a spokesman for Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri, told USA TODAY that not all classrooms are cool, despite the fact that all buildings in the district have some sort of cooling system. He said the district tried and failed to pass a bond referendum to install central air.
In Wisconsin, educators expressed frustration over lack of public school budgets when Gov. Tony Evers greeted Milwaukee students on the first day of school Tuesday. Just hours after students walked out, Milwaukee Public Schools closed classes for the afternoon due to the heat.
Most buildings in the area do not have air conditioning.
A similar heat wave prompted closures in the school district in 2021. At the time, Superintendent Keith Posley said air conditioning would be a priority in the district's funding to deal with COVID-19. But estimates put the cost at about $1.5 million and $2.5 million per building.
Since then, air conditioning proposals and projects have either been voted down or rejected. Milwaukee School Board Vice President Jilly Gokalgadi said it's a challenge with a tight budget, and the district should establish a fair system for choosing which buildings get it first.
Contributing: Krystal Nurse and Tiffany Cusaac-Smith, USA TODAY; Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent; Rory Linnane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
