Some schools are dismissing early because of the heat

Schools

In Boston, however, the first day of school will go on as planned — despite scorching temperatures and a lack of air conditioning in some buildings.

As sweltering temperatures blanket most of Massachusetts, several local school districts have called for early dismissals and heat-related precautions during recess.

Schools in Chicopee, Springfield, Westfield, Framingham, and Worcester opted for early releases this week in light of a National Weather Service heat advisory. Heat indices are projected to reach as high as 100 degrees, with hot and humid weather continuing through Friday, per NWS.

“Although we understand that some of our school learning environments are equipped with air conditioning, we also understand that other learning environments are still works in progress,” Chicopee Superintendent Marcus Ware wrote in a statement on Facebook.

Chicopee sent its students home before noon on Wednesday, offering each child a bagged lunch upon dismissal. Ware’s announcement did not mention early release plans for Thursday.

“We will continue to closely monitor the weather and the temperature inside our classrooms each day because we know that no two days are ever exactly the same,” Ware wrote.

Springfield Public Schools and Westfield Public Schools both opted to close early on Wednesday and Thursday. Framingham Public Schools will send its students home early on Thursday, while Worcester Public Schools has called for an early release on Thursday and Friday.

“These temperatures make teaching and learning especially difficult in the majority of our buildings that are not air conditioned,” Westfield Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski wrote in a Facebook announcement. 

School was still on in nearby Holyoke, though the city’s schools are limiting outdoor recess breaks and physical education classes to minimize exposure to the heat and humidity, according to the Holyoke Public Schools website.

“Families are asked to send their children to school with full water bottles so they can remain hydrated on their way to and from school,” the district said. “Each school building offers a water bottle refilling station so students can refill their bottles while at school. Air conditioning will be in use at all HPS schools.”

Similarly, Fitchburg Public Schools said it will have additional water available to students throughout the day, also asking parents and guardians to dress their children in loose clothing. 

“We will continue to monitor the heat situation in all of our schools,” Interim Superintendent Jon Thompson wrote on Facebook. 

Students head back to school without AC

As in Chicopee and Westfield, several school districts across Massachusetts are grappling with a lack of air conditioning amid this week’s scorching temperatures. 

According to The Boston Globe, while Boston Public Schools put air conditioning in every classroom in each of the 63 BPS buildings used for summer learning, there are still 20 schools without AC.

Speaking at a press conference on back-to-school preparations Wednesday, Boston Superintendent Mary Skipper said a “small number” of BPS buildings can’t sustain air conditioning, typically due to electrical capacity.

Likewise, according to the Globe, only 17 out of 45 Worcester Public Schools buildings have some level of air conditioning. 

The state’s lack of air-conditioned classrooms is because “many of the school buildings were built several decades ago when air conditioning was not common,” Daniel O’Brien, chief communications officer for WPS, told the Globe.

And those higher temperatures can have a lasting impact: A 2020 article published in the scientific journal Nature Human Behaviour found that heat exposure inhibits a child’s ability to learn. 

“It’s not just that children aren’t working hard enough, their environment is making it harder for them,” Lindsey Burghardt, chief science officer at Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, told the Globe.

What is Boston doing?

Skipper said Boston Public Schools is taking a number of precautions for the first day of school on Thursday, including opening windows and limiting time outside.

“We have plenty of fans, lots of water,” she said.

At the same press conference, Mayor Michelle Wu acknowledged that as the city gets hotter due to climate change, more and more school days will be impacted by heat.

“It takes an incredible amount of planning and coordination and staff time and resources to try to manage when many, many of our buildings are just old and need to be updated,” she said, invoking her $2 billion plan to overhaul aging BPS buildings as part of a “Green New Deal.” 

“In addition to all of the efforts at every individual school and all the planning that’s happening for these next couple days, we are also working really hard to just help provide that big picture plan for how we’re going to improve and redo many of the buildings in Boston’s very, very old building stock when it comes to our Boston Public Schools,” Wu said.

She added: “This Green New Deal for BPS and facilities affects every part of learning.”