Current:Home > InvestSchools dismiss early, teach online as blast of heat hits northeastern US -Finovate
Schools dismiss early, teach online as blast of heat hits northeastern US
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:52:50
A blast of late summer heat caused disruptions Wednesday for schools from Michigan to Virginia, with some districts dismissing students early and others holding classes online just days into the new academic year.
While temperatures weren’t as high as last month’s triple-digit deadly heat wave, schools in states including Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia cited inadequate air conditioning in cutting days short this week. Temperatures in the mid-90s also led to online learning in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Only 20% of public schools in Detroit, where the temperature reached 89 degrees Tuesday but dropped Wednesday, have air conditioning. The district dismissed its roughly 54,000 students three hours early Wednesday for the second consecutive day.
“We never want to inconvenience our families with early releases, but we also do not want our staff and students to be so uncomfortable that teaching and learning becomes a distraction to the heat,” Detroit Public Schools Community District spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson said in a statement.
The early dismissals caused headaches for families who had to scramble to make last-minute schedule changes.
Parent Natesha Myers, who works from home, opted to keep her 5-year-old daughter with her. Myers said she would not have been able to pick her daughter up from her Detroit school three hours early because of scheduled work meetings.
“It was very difficult and stressful,” Myers said. “I had to give her the iPad. She kept trying to climb on my lap.”
Late summer heat isn’t unusual. But temperatures at the start of the school year have been getting warmer for years.
For instance, Philadelphia’s expected high of 95 on Wednesday is 13 degrees higher than the normal high for the day, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. The holiday weekend also followed the hottest August scientists have ever recorded with modern equipment; scientists blame human-caused climate change.
The first week of school in Philadelphia this week saw early dismissals for dozens of schools “without air conditioning or inadequate cooling.” The district announced Wednesday that more than 80 schools would end classes early the rest of the week.
District spokeswoman Monique Braxton said many schools need upgraded electrical systems to support air conditioning.
“We’re in an old city,” she said. “Most of our buildings are old facilities. We’re making adjustments as necessary.”
In Baltimore, where temperatures climbed to the upper 90s, inadequate heating and air conditioning systems have also long been a problem.
Officials released a plan in 2017 to make all necessary improvements and repairs within roughly five years. While that deadline has been pushed back for issues including the expense, the number of city schools without air conditioning has decreased from 75 to 11, according to district officials.
Nationwide, an estimated 36,000 schools need to update or install HVAC systems, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2020.
On Wednesday, Baltimore schools without air conditioning dismissed some students early and assigned others to virtual learning for the rest of the week.
In Pittsburgh, students and staff in nearly 40 schools also pivoted to remote learning.
Returning to online learning in times of extreme weather — from hurricanes to water crises — has become more common after the pandemic, though remote instruction has long-term shortcomings.
Health experts warn that exposure to excessive heat can cause dehydration or heat exhaustion, among other things, while teachers say sweltering classrooms make it difficult to do their jobs.
“Teachers are concerned about the environment being conducive to education. They were thankful to have the relief,” said Detroit Federation of Teachers President Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins said of the early dismissals.
___
Associated Press writers Brooke Schultz in Harrisburg, Penn., Lea Skene in Baltimore, and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Mississippi police unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines, Justice Department says
- Caitlin Clark fever: Indiana Fever, WNBA legends react to Iowa star declaring for draft
- Here's how marriage and divorce will affect your Social Security benefits
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Trump appeals judge’s decision to remove his name from Illinois primary ballot
- South Dakota Republican lawmakers want clarity for the state’s abortion laws. They propose a video
- Hatch watch is underway at a California bald eagle nest monitored by a popular online camera feed
- 'Most Whopper
- Indiana Legislature approves bill adding additional verification steps to voter registration
Ranking
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Georgia is spending more than $1 billion subsidizing moviemaking. Lawmakers want some limits
- 50 years ago, 'Blazing Saddles' broke wind — and box office expectations
- Why Jada Pinkett Smith Would Want Daughter Willow to Have a Relationship Like Hers
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill draws international condemnation after it is passed by parliament
- SEC dominating the upper half of this week's Bracketology predicting the NCAA men's tournament
- Don Henley says he never gifted lyrics to Hotel California and other Eagles songs
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Doctors in South Korea walk out in strike of work conditions
The Skinny Confidential’s Lauryn Bosstick Shares the Beauty Essential She Uses Every Single Day
Delaware couple sentenced to over 150 years in prison for indescribable torture of sons
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Virginia man sentenced to 43 years after pleading guilty to killing teen who had just graduated
Iowa star Caitlin Clark declares for WNBA draft, will skip final season of college eligibility
Nevada county election official in charge of controversial 2022 hand-count plan resigns