Owen Driscoll, a 17-year-old senior at Rufus King International High School in Milwaukee, was skeptical about starting school after Labor Day this year, three weeks later than before. But he is beginning to see the advantages.

“Last year when we were on the old schedule, we had a few heat days [off in August] because it was so unbearable,” he said, noting that few classrooms are air-conditioned. That made it hard to get into the rhythm of school, he said.

By delaying the start date and extending the school year into June, heat days are more likely at the end of the year, Driscoll acknowledged. But by then, he said, students are ready to be done and appreciate the unscheduled time off.

Higher summer temperatures, driven by climate change, are pushing more school districts around the country to start the school year later. It’s contrary to a decades-long trend toward moving up start dates. In addition to the change at some schools in Milwaukee, school officials in Philadelphia and in Billings, Montana, also have cited heat as a reason to push back their start dates.

“We see examples all over the country,” said Karen White, deputy executive director of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the country.

“I think it’s only gotten worse,” White said. “We are at a point in time [in the school year when] parents and educators and students should be excited. It’s difficult when you are sending your kid to a classroom that’s more like a hot yoga class.”

White said climate change has led some teachers to demand air conditioning in collective bargaining. She pointed to an in Columbus, Ohio, that called for climate-controlled classrooms by the 2025-26 school year.

In Philadelphia, district spokesperson Christina Clark said that beginning school after Labor Day will minimize the number of heat-related school closures, “which exacerbate inequities between schools that have air conditioning and those that do not.”

“Hot temperatures during the first few days of school leads to headaches, lack of attention and general frustration,” Clark wrote in an email to Stateline.

In Billings, Montana, Superintendent Erwin Garcia noted that one of the district’s oldest high schools has no air conditioning and the other has it in only half the building.

“I noticed classrooms can be 90 degrees, 95 degrees, almost 100 degrees. And our students and teachers have to go through that process for two to three weeks,” Garcia last December, when the district was discussing changes. The school board voted to push back this year’s start date to Sept. 3. The 2023-24 school year began on Aug. 22.

He estimated that fully air-conditioning the two oldest high schools would cost $24 million — and that the district would have to ask taxpayers for the money, according to KTVQ.

A lawmaker in Texas, where most schools started the week of Aug. 12, plans to file a bill in the next legislative session to delay school openings as a way to reduce stress on the state’s power grid.

“With 1,100 new residents daily and an ever-expanding economy, opening schools before Labor Day is an awfully wasteful stress on our power grid. Cooling thousands of buildings — often the largest buildings in a community — during the hottest months of the year makes no sense,” Texas Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson .

“Schools should be completely closed during July & August, saving taxpayer dollars on cooling expenses and our grid at the same time,” he wrote last month.

In general, schools in the Northeast start later, schools in the Deep South, earlier. In places that are hot for much of the year, such as Arizona, Florida and Texas, the heat is less of a concern because nearly all schools are fully air conditioned. In the six New England states, however, almost no students go back before the end of August, while in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, about three-quarters of students don’t return until after Labor Day, according to a .

Contrary to popular belief, the school calendar has little to do with the agrarian economy, . If it did, spring planting and fall harvesting seasons would be days off school for farm kids.

What is true is that in recent years, historically hot summers have forced many schools — no matter when their start dates — to temporarily close. Last month, for example, some schools in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin all closed or dismissed students early because of excessive heat.

And last year, schools in nine states — Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin — during the first week of September either closed or let kids out before scheduled dismissal, according to a by CBS News.

Climate change will “probably hasten a push back to a September start in places that have somewhat temperate Junes,” said Joshua Graff Zivin, an economist and director of the Cowhey Center on Global Transformation at the University of California San Diego.

Zivin said more schools should invest in air conditioning, but even with it, a hot commute to school or home temperatures too high to get a good night’s sleep affect students’ performance and might lead to calls for later school start dates.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2020 found 41% of school districts across the country need to update or replace heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning  systems in at least half of their schools, amounting to about 36,000 schools.

The federal agency didn’t measure how many schools have no air conditioning at all, according to Jackie Nowicki, a director in GAO’s team that focuses on education.

In Milwaukee, Adria Maddaleni, chief human resources officer for the Milwaukee Public Schools, said the later start was partially the result of a parent survey. Only about a quarter of classrooms in the district have air conditioning.

“I thank the Lord we did not have early start this session,” Maddaleni said in an interview, “and we didn’t have to worry about canceling school.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on and .

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.”

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com. Follow Rhode Island Current on and .

More than alone are expected to be out of school until October because of lingering problems caused by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29.

Remnants of the storm also battered districts in , and with flooding and tornadoes. Additionally, rising temperatures coupled with inadequate air conditioning have closed hundreds of districts around the country.

Meanwhile, wildfires have scorched school grounds in California.

“Unfortunately, these horrific wildfires and other natural disasters have become our new normal as a result of the effects of climate change,” California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in a news release Sept. 3.

The frequency and intensity of the natural disasters shuttering schools are in

“Ida is an unnatural disaster, at least in part,” Jason West, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health on Aug. 29. “Climate change makes it stronger, sea level rise makes it more damaging.”

Here’s how America’s schools and students are faring as climate change fans the flames of extreme weather.

As closed districts across Northern California, the Caldor Fire burned a Grizzly Flats, California, elementary school to the ground on Aug. 18, while another fire was extinguished across the street from an elementary school in Lower Lake, California.

Climate change was top of mind for Oakland, California, students when Gov. Gavin Newsom visited schools Sept. 15.

Meanwhile, some Louisiana districts were forced to shut down because of flooding and other damage from Hurricane Ida. In St. Charles Parish, for example, the storm damaged . Schools there are .

East-coast campuses felt the aftermath of Ida when tornadoes touched down. An Edgewater, Maryland, high school lost its football stadium to the high speed winds.

Heavy rains from the deadly and destructive category 4 hurricane flooded campuses and trapped school buses, too. One bus in Pennsylvania was in transit with 40 students and had to be rescued.

Meanwhile, schools around the country continue to struggle with heatwaves, as many do not have air conditioning.

Twenty schools in Columbus, Ohio, started the year remote because of  

A New Jersey township even made masks optional from Sept. 8 to 10 because of the extreme heat and inadequate air conditioning.

https://twitter.com/Chris_Olivieri/status/1435678554461716487

Schools in Denver reverted to remote school due to record-breaking heat this month as well.

https://twitter.com/footiusmaximus/status/1436328970421620745

And hurricane season isn’t over yet: The threat of flooding as Nicholas, which made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday in Texas, continues to dump rain on the Gulf Coast. The storm, which has weakened, closed schools in Texas and Louisiana Tuesday, and .

https://twitter.com/andydhorowitz/status/1437890577085906944

WATCH — 74 EXPLAINS: HOW EXTREME WEATHER HAS DISRUPTED THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR

Lead Image: Waltham, Massachusetts, school busses flooded on Sept. 2. (Getty Images)