Stay at Home Moms

Cancelling school for mid-90 degree heat?

Seriously? We got calls/emails at 8:00 tonight that school is cancelled for high heat and because the cooling system in the building is sub-par. OK, I'm not heartless. I don't want DS going to kindergarten and broiling, but it's been this hot or hotter for the last 2.5 weeks and the kids have all been fine. Not sure what's so special about tomorrow that they have to cancel,  and it's not looking any better next week.

I'm not irritated on my own account, DS was exhausted today and now I can take the kids to the zoo tomorrow and give him a  much deserved break, but what the hell would we do if I was working and got this message at eight p.m? Not everyone can just take off on the spur of the moment, and that's awfully short notice to find alternative child care.

Re: Cancelling school for mid-90 degree heat?

  • That seems so strange to me. Around here schools don't like to close for anything. They don't want to have to make up the days during winter or spring break. Either way, have fun at the Zoo!
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  • It's like that in MN too. Hell, when I went to school, they NEVER cancelled it. Today and tomorrow were both cancelled due to no air conditioning in schools in mpls. What? Really?
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  • Usually instead of canceling for heat, they make the days shortened. Still a pain in the ass for working parents.
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  • I guess if there is no a/c it makes sense.  It's forecasted to be triple digits here this week and school will be in session.  One year I had four fans and those stay-cool towels in my 90 degree classroom! 
     

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  • Well I guess that's the equivalent of when they cancel school here for a flurry or even the threat of snow. We've had school canceled for a storm that never came. Not even one flurry.
  • My district doesn't usually cancel school but they do require that we move as many classes as possible into air conditioned facilities, allow students to get dinks frequently and send out an automated message warning families about the temperature.
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  • That's crazy! We used to have a few 95+ days at the end of June every year. Our elementary and middle schools don't have a/c (or at least they didn't when I was a kid) and with fans and windows open we made it through the day. I also grew up with only a window unit in my mother's bedroom and no other a/c at home. So did DH. It got hot, we survived.
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  • That would annoy me too. If the heat is such an issue, why not start school later?
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  • It might be in the union contract.  I was amused when I was looking for a job in a district near my house that there were actually temperatures listed in the contract that were deemed unsuitable for teaching and learning.  Classes would be cancelled or relocated if the classroom reached those temps.

    My former contract had no such provision.  I used to teach on the top floor of a building with no air conditioning.  There were days that we reached 95 degrees.  It was absolutely miserable and there was no learning going on, however school was still in session. 

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  • My understanding is that the inside of the buildings in the MPLS schools are well over 100 degrees right now.  I taught in a building w/o AC and a few years back we had a week of 90-100 degrees in the spring and it was awful.  The kids were getting sick and there was no where to cool off.  My classroom thermometer said 115 degrees inside.  That's not safe for anyone.  My guess is there were a lot of complaints and people reached a breaking point.

    Usually before/after care programs will still run so the kids can go to daycare if you work.  Honestly, to know by 8pm would be much better than finding out at 7am which is what happened to us last winter on a snow day.  You just call in or you have a family member who is prepared to help at the drop of a hat.  It sucks either way.
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  • @dizzykates @auroraloo....you guys win! That sounds absolutely horrifying. 113 degrees? That's not safe at all! Why don't they just teach in a car in the parking lot? I didn't realize it got that hot, holy balls.
  • My understanding is that the inside of the buildings in the MPLS schools are well over 100 degrees right now.  I taught in a building w/o AC and a few years back we had a week of 90-100 degrees in the spring and it was awful.  The kids were getting sick and there was no where to cool off.  My classroom thermometer said 115 degrees inside.  That's not safe for anyone.  My guess is there were a lot of complaints and people reached a breaking point.

    Usually before/after care programs will still run so the kids can go to daycare if you work.  Honestly, to know by 8pm would be much better than finding out at 7am which is what happened to us last winter on a snow day.  You just call in or you have a family member who is prepared to help at the drop of a hat.  It sucks either way.
    That's a good point. It was almost unbearable in our classrooms, but our buildings were old and predated a/c so they were designed to get a breeze and there were trees all around. There were days when it was really hot that many teachers would take us outside under a tree for class or at least parts of it because even if it was over 90 it was cooler outside than in.
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  • Yeah, there were about six schools here in ND that were cancelled earlier this week. They were older schools that didn't have AC. It will be interesting as the rest of the schools in our area had school. I understand why they closed, but it would stink to start off the year having to make up days when we still have the winter ahead! It's still hot here, but our highest heat was earlier this week. I was watching the weather map yesterday afternoon, and there were places up here in ND that were hotter than Miami. That like never happens!
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  • Louiej said:
    @dizzykates @auroraloo....you guys win! That sounds absolutely horrifying. 113 degrees? That's not safe at all! Why don't they just teach in a car in the parking lot? I didn't realize it got that hot, holy balls.
    LOL to anyone still not sure, I say turn off your AC, take your kiddos to the bathroom w/o windows, shut the door and try to keep them happy at 2 in the afternoon. :)  I'm thankful for the AC my building has now.
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  • Out here, the school are letting out early. I think they would have closed but they wanted to give parents a few extra hours to figure out childcare. I don't know, if I were a student, I wouldn't be learning anything in 90 - 113 degree heat. I'd just be miserable so it would be better to just make up the days when it's not so bad. But I agree, the childcare thing sucks.
  • I remember a few years ago--many of our schools aren't AC (minus the office, the special ed classrooms and the tech lab). Our elementary schools (some of them) are two stories--it was easily reading 100+ degrees in the upstairs classrooms.
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  • My bubble was popped again. I had no idea some schools did not have central AC. It was 105 here yesterday business as normal.
  • When I was in grade school in Iowa, we used to sometimes cancel because of heat (we started around this time).  We had partial A/C but the cancellation was actually because of an agreement our district had with the power company - they got better rates if they would cancel or let out early on hot days and turn off the A/C.  It helped with the pricing for the heat in winter, I guess?  
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  • My bubble was popped again. I had no idea some schools did not have central AC. It was 105 here yesterday business as normal.
    Wait...are you kidding? There are many, many older schools that don't have AC. 

    OP, at least you got notice the night before. In winter here, delays/cancellations often aren't made until the day of. So yeah, while it does suck for working parents, it's par for the course when you have kids in school. Hence why most parents have backup childcare options for those days around here.
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  • The school I am in had a power outage last night because of stress on the electrical system due to the high demand on the cooling system.  I wonder what would happen if that happened during school hours?  Apparently they've made arrangements with more back up generators to keep it from happening again, but you just never know.
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  • My bubble was popped again. I had no idea some schools did not have central AC. It was 105 here yesterday business as normal.
    There isn't usually a huge need here in MN. School use to only start after Labor Day. By that time temps are generally very manageable. The kids get out in early June which is still very manageable temp wise here (usually). Sending kids to school in August though, all bets are off. We have been near 100 all week long.
    Yup, this.  Usually no need.  Our school has zero AC of any type.  But we haven't even started school yet.  My DD starts next Wednesday. And we get out in June. Sometimes towards the end it gets hot, teachers bring in fans.
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  • My bubble was popped again. I had no idea some schools did not have central AC. It was 105 here yesterday business as normal.
    I can see why TX wouldn't have schools without a/c! In NJ we don't often have 95+ degree days during the school year, so it's only newer buildings that have a/c. Our middle school was a WPA Project in the 30s and has had several additions since but retrofitting a/c is cost prohibitive. It has radiant heat. It's only in the past 10-15 years that many residences in my town installed central air and a lot of people still just have a few window nits instead. Old houses is an area that only has so many unmanageably hot days so the incentive to spend $10K or more to convert isn't strong.

    My ILs have a single window unit! MIL hates a/c and would far rather be hot than have a cold breeze blowing on her. Guess whose house we avoid all summer...
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  • Our district had 3 hr early outs 4 of the 5 days this week. I taught on the second story of an ancient 3 story building. It was miserable. I had all 3 windows open and 3 fans blowing hot air and papers around. Trust me there was no learning going on. For those who 'survived'---good for you? That environment is not conducive to learning. It's not what I want for my children.
  • So, just to follow up, it didn't get above 85 all day and when the kids and I walked out of our movie (right at the same time school would have been ending) it was pouring rain and in the high 60's, according to my car thermometer. I think this was a bad call.
  • My MIL is here visiting and said schools where she lives had been letting out early for 90 degree weather....apparently many schools don't have AC (that seems kinda strange to me!) so I guess I get that.  They live in a small town in Iowa...but heck, everyone knows it DOES get hot in Iowa and 90's isn't THAT warm, IMO.  I think I was more shocked about no ACs in the schools. 

    If you were a working mom, you'd use your backup care plan, or your care plan for when the kids are on a break from school.  Many kids who go to before or afterschool care often have a reserved space to attend all day in the event school is closed or cancelled, like for snow.
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  • Most of the school buildings in our city are ~100 years old, and retrofitting them with AC is cost prohibitive. Everything @shibby00 said, 2-3 story old buildings get HOT, and weren't designed to be open in the heat of summer. Also, global warming.
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  • I get no AC in schools in some areas that are known to be cooler.  Iowa is not typically cool at this time of the year though. 
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