Angela Girol has been teaching fourth grade in Pittsburgh for over two decades. Over the years she’s noticed a change at her school: It’s getting hotter.

Some days temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in her classroom which, , isn’t air-conditioned. When it’s hot, she said, kids don’t eat, or drink enough water. “They end up in the nurse’s office because they’re dizzy, they have a headache, their stomach hurts — all because of heat and dehydration,” she said.

To cope with the heat, her students are now allowed to keep water on their desks, but that presents its own challenges. “They’re constantly filling up water bottles, so I have to give them breaks during the day for that. And then everyone has to go to the bathroom all the time,” she said. “I’m losing instruction time.”

The effect extreme heat is having on schools and child care is starting to get the attention of policymakers and researchers. Last week, the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, on the issue. In April, so did the , a nonprofit policy organization.

“The average school building in the U.S. was built nearly 50 years ago,” said policy analyst Allie Schneider, co-author of the Center for American Progress report. “Schools and child care centers were built in areas that maybe 30 or 15 years ago didn’t require access to air-conditioning, or at least for a good portion of the year. Now we’re seeing that becoming a more pressing concern.” Students are also on campus during the hottest parts of the day. “It’s something that is really important not just to their physical health, but their learning outcomes,” she said.

Last April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its own detailing some of the effects heat has on kids. It notes that children have a harder time thermo-regulating and take longer to produce sweat, making them more vulnerable than adults to heat exhaustion and heat illness.

Kids don’t necessarily listen to their body’s cues about heat, and might need an adult to remind them to drink water or not play outside. Kevin Toolan, a sixth-grade teacher in Long Island, New York, said having to constantly monitor heat safety distracts him from being able to teach. “The mindset is shifting to safety rather than instruction,” he said. “Those children don’t know how to handle it.”

To keep the classroom cool, he’ll turn the lights off, but kids fall asleep. “They are lethargic,” he said.

To protect kids, because temperatures have gotten too high. Warmer temperatures also lead to more , especially low-income students. And heat makes it harder to learn. tracked the scores of students from schools without air-conditioning who took the PSAT exam at least twice. It found that increases in the average outdoor temperature corresponded with students making smaller gains on their retakes.

Both Toolan and Girol said that cooling options like keeping doors and windows open to promote cross ventilation are gone, thanks to the clampdowns in school security after 9/11 — and worsened by the threat of school shootings. Students and teachers are trapped in their overheating classrooms. “Teachers report leaving with migraines or signs of heat exhaustion,” said Toolan. “At 100 degrees, it is very uncomfortable. Your clothes are stuck to you.”

The Center for American Progress report joins a call by other advocacy groups to create federal guidance that schools and child care centers could adopt “to ensure that children are not forced to learn, play and exercise in dangerously hot conditions,” Schneider said. Some states already have standards in place, but they vary. In California, child care facilities are required to keep temperatures between 68 and 85 degrees. In Maryland, the recommendation is between 74 and 82 degrees. A few states, like Florida, require schools to reduce outdoor activity on high-heat days. Schneider says federal guidance would help all school districts use the latest scientific evidence to set protective standards.

In June, 23 health and education advocacy organizations signed making a similar request of the Department of Education, asking for better guidance and coordination to protect kids. Some of their recommendations included publishing a plan that schools could adopt for dealing with high temperatures; encouraging states to direct more resources to providing air-conditioning in schools; and providing school districts with information on heat hazards.

“We know that school infrastructure is being overwhelmed by extreme heat, and that without a better system to advise schools on the types of practices they should be implementing, it’s going to be a little bit of the Wild West of actions being taken,” said Grace Wickerson, health equity policy manager at the Federation of American Scientists.

A longer term solution is upgrading school infrastructure but the need for air conditioning is overwhelming. According to the Center for American Progress report, 36,000 schools nationwide don’t have adequate HVAC systems. By 2025, it estimates that installing or upgrading HVAC or other cooling systems will cost around $4.4 billion.

Some state or local governments are trying to address the heat issue. In June, the New York State Legislature now awaiting the governor’s signature that would require school staff to take measures like closing blinds or turning off lights when temperatures reach 82 degrees inside a classroom. At 88 degrees, classes would be canceled. A last year and currently before California’s state assembly would require schools to create extreme heat action plans that could include mandating hydration and rest breaks or moving recess to cooler parts of the day.

Some teachers have been galvanized to take action, too. As president of the Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers, Toolan was part of an effort to secure $80 million for infrastructure upgrades through a bond vote. Over half will go to HVAC systems for some 500 classrooms in his district.

And Girol is running for a state representative seat in Pennsylvania, where a main plank in her platform is to fully fund public schools in order to pay for things like air-conditioning. She was recently endorsed by the Climate Cabinet, a federal political action committee. “Part of the reason climate is so important to me is because of this issue,” she said. “I see how it’s negatively affecting my students.”

Originally published by

PROVIDENCE — With a large black SUV with AC on full blast standing by for when heat got too oppressive, five school food service workers were working underneath a blue tarp at the Bucklin Kitchen on Daboll Street when Claudia Morales approached.

Morales was there to pick up three boxed lunches for two of her children — a high school junior and senior — and one grandchild — a kindergartner, Thursday because the Providence Public School District (PPSD) closed 19 of its 37 schools due to excessive heat. Providence joined 19 other local education agencies that either closed or dismissed classes early due to the weather.

“At home, I wasn’t prepared,” she said when asked why she came to the food site. “One of my kids goes to Classical and today was supposed to be her first day. She hasn’t even started yet.”

“I didn’t mind the decision, I think [officials] made the right call,” she continued. “I think maybe they’ll do it again tomorrow.”

PPSD announced schools would be closed Thursday on Wednesday night due to concerns around the health and safety of students and staff.

“The Providence Public School District (PPSD) is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families,” said PPSD Public Information Officer Jay Wegimont in a statement Wednesday night. “We understand the challenges that extreme heat conditions can bring, and we appreciate families’ cooperation and understanding.”

The district “will continue to monitor the weather,” according to its announcement. The National Weather Service has issued through 8 p.m. Friday, noting heat index values — what the temperature feels like when high humidity combines with high temperatures — of up to 98.

Pawtucket announced via Twitter Wednesday night that all schools would be closed Thursday.

“Due to the extreme heat forecast tomorrow, there will be no school Thursday, September 7, 2023,” a Tweet from the Pawtucket School District said. “12 Month employees to report to work. Employees, any questions contact your immediate supervisor.”

Meteorologist Bryce Wilson at the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, said temperatures in Providence could hit the mid-90s Thursday, but that’s not where the real danger lies.

“The big issue is it’s not just going to be hot,” he said. “It’s going to be humid. We have dew points in the mid-70s.”

“When you have moisture in the air you can’t sweat and cool off,” he said. “That’s why it’s more dangerous than a dry heat.”

Ashley Cullinane, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Education, said the weather has led to cancellations regionally.

“There have been reports of the heat impacting districts across New England, so it’s important to note that this issue impacts schools beyond Providence,” Cullinane said in an email, “many of which do not have properly electrical capacity to house cooling units and systems.”

Closures and early dismissals across R.I.

Officials with the Rhode Island Department of Education listed the 19 other local education agencies which closed schools or ended classes early due to the heat and humidity. The list included: Blessed Sacrament School in Providence, LaSalle Academy in Providence, all schools in Pawtucket, the Met East Bay School in Newport, William M. Davies Career and Technical High School in Lincoln, and the Rhode Island Transition Academy at Roger Williams University.

Officials dismissed students early in: Barrington, Burrillville, Cranston, Coventry, Cumberland, East Greenwich, East Providence, Johnston, Scituate, Smithfield, West Warwick, and Woonsocket.

“I have visited several of our schools and have found that classrooms are certainly warm and buildings with classrooms on second floors are even warmer in temperature,” Cumberland Superintendent Philip D. Thornton said in a message to families sent Wednesday night. “To accommodate for the warm weather, administrators and teachers are making adjustments to the physical education classes, recess schedule and providing alternative teaching areas for students as needed.”

“Water is easily accessible to everyone. However, even with these adjustments, the weather forecast for Thursday calls for even warmer temperatures.”

Age of schools a factor in capital

It’s no secret that school buildings in Providence tend to be old and often lack air conditioning, . According to commissioned by PPSD, the average age of schools in Providence is about 70 years old.

“We know our facilities are old/outdated,” said Maribeth Calabro, president of the Providence Teachers Union, in a text message. “We also know how much money is required to upgrade, update and in some cases rebuild 21st century schools.”

She said that a $235 million bond approved in November by voters would provide some of the necessary upgrades and “make it so we don’t have to close 19 schools.” According to there are over $900 million worth of infrastructure deficiencies in Providence schools.

Given current conditions though, Calabro said the decision to call off school Thursday was the right one.

“State and District leadership made the difficult but appropriate decision to close schools without air conditioning,” she said. “Due to the excessive heat, classrooms were unbearably hot and created unhealthy situations for students and staff.”

Chanda Womack, the executive director of the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education, was more blunt in her assessment.

“It’s hot and the schools don’t have AC,” Womack said via text. “[PPSD] Buildings are trash. It’s simple.”

Providence Public Schools District School Committee Member Ty’Relle Stephens said that he visited several schools Wednesday.

“I was definitely sweating in some of the schools I visited yesterday,” he said. “I definitely believe that a lot of our schools need to be upgraded and do not have air conditioning.”

For Morales though, the fact that so many schools have no air conditioning makes her question district leaders’ priorities.

“They’re not paying attention to the children,” she said.

PPSD has been working on improvising buildings, promising to invest more than $50 million into facility repairs and improvements by 2030. Slightly more than 7%, about $31 million, of the department’s fiscal year 2024 budget is set to go toward school building maintenance costs.

Cullinane said that Providence schools also that aims to update the technology and functionality of school structures.

“After opening just one new school in the last 14 years, Providence is slated to open three new and like-new schools this year under the intervention,” she said. “Projects are expected to receive an estimated 91% reimbursement by the State.”

On top of the list for improvements is , which has around $151 million in deficiencies according to the Downes Report. The school may face demolition, refurbishment, or a combination of the two by 2025. Costs on that project — starting at $120 million — will be covered with money from the $235 million bond.

For Morales though, she said this is a learning opportunity, this time not so much for the students.

“I hope PPSD learns from it,” she said. “And maybe they’ll fix the ACs.”

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