Many school districts in Southern California announced limited schedules for students, as temperatures peaked above 100 degrees on Monday, September 9. The schools did not, however, close, even as excessive heat warnings went into effect and lingered. The shortened school days went into effect for twelve schools, mostly in the San Fernando Valley, of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
Another school took different actions to combat the heat. At San Pedro High School, an intercom announcement greeted students, “Good morning!” before reminding them, “The following cooling areas are available to students: the student cafeteria, the auditorium, and room 253 in the science building.”
“Many of our classrooms do not have air conditioning units,” said a Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) spokesperson, “This decision prioritizes the health and safety of our students, staff, and community.” While some campuses are releasing students and others are trying to keep them cool throughout the day, the goal behind all of these efforts is to reduce students’ exposure to heat. For now, updating decades-old school buildings remains a long-term goal.
At other locations, including some elementary schools, LAUSD has set up portable misting fans outdoors, as well as pop-up tents. Some schools in Long Beach have covered windows to limit sunlight and equipped classrooms with chilled water dispensers and fans if they don’t have A/C available.
Change is Coming, But Will Take Time
In a proactive step against the summer sun, some schools are limiting outdoor activities by keeping students indoors during recess. Many games scheduled to take place during the heatwave have been postponed to later dates, pending changes in the weather. This is in advance of a bill currently under consideration by Governor Newsom, which would make changes like this mandatory.
The bill would require that, in cases of extreme weather such as Monday’s heat advisory, physical activities at school be changed to accommodate the safety and health of students. The bill requires California schools to monitor heat using a specialized scale that takes into account the effects of heat on the human body. Depending on the results shown by the thermometer, schools will reach thresholds that require more breaks, more water, or even canceled activities.
LAUSD has estimated that the district requires around fifty thousand HVAC units to satisfy the needs of all district schools, but has not been forthcoming about their progress on this significant work. Other efforts include introducing more green space to counteract the prevalence of blacktop and concrete surfaces, a process that will take years to complete.
Keeping Schools Open May Be Better Than Closing Them
Some feel that, when the heat is extreme, it’s better to be at school than to be out in the community or in homes that are also not equipped with ways to keep cool. “Many families view schools as a safe and cooler environment,” said Long Beach Unified School District spokesperson Elvia Cano, “Particularly in homes that lack air conditioning.”
School administrators also have to face the fact that closing schools means a loss of instructional days and, therefore, a potential loss of future funding. To keep up instructional days, LAUSD schools have run modified schedules that they call “minimum days.” On these days, the schools are open for the shortest amount of time that they can be while still being able to count as a full instructional day. This means three hours for kindergarten and approximately four hours for grades 1-12.
In cases when the school ends classes early but students have nowhere to go before the beginning of after-school programs, schools may offer supervised free time. During such time, students would be wise to take advantage of any A/C or cooling facilities schools have to offer. This is an essential part of staying healthy during extreme weather conditions, particularly for children.
