For Immediate Release
Summer school students can stay home on Aug. 2 & 3 due to heat
Aug 1, 2006 4:08 PM
Faced with a record-breaking heat wave and a lack of air conditioning at many schools in summer session, the UFT urged the Department of Education to close schools until the heat eases.
DOE responded by notifying parents that attendance at summer school on Aug. 2 and 3 would not be mandatory and that students would not be penalized for being absent those days.
Following numerous early morning reports on Aug. 1 from staff about stifling heat in classrooms without air conditioning, UFT Staff Director Michael Mendel wrote to the DOE asking that schools be closed early that day and closed the following day.
“In many classrooms and schools temperatures can become dangerously high, and the severe heat can be very hazardous to people’s health,” Mendel wrote. “It’s almost like a snow day in reverse with these extreme conditions.”
As a result, DOE directed principals to distribute a letter for students to deliver to their parents that said:
“In anticipation of a severe heat wave, we are advising you that attendance at summer school on Wednesday, August 2, is not mandatory. Your child will not be penalized for being absent on that day. Your familiarity with your child’s health and physical condition will help you determine whether or not to send your child to school. Please note that the school will be open, teachers and supervisors will be present, and classes will be in session on Wednesday. Please do not hesitate to call the Parent Coordinator if you have any questions.”
The DOE late said that students could stay home on Aug. 3 as well when the heat persisted.
UFT staffers have been visiting a number of schools that are reporting extreme conditions and they have been pushing the DOE to take corrective action to address the worst problems. UFT Vice President Frank Volpicella and industrial hygienist Ellie Engler, for example, met with staff on August 1 at the High School for the Arts in Brooklyn, where classroom temperatures reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result of UFT complaints, a number of schools and classrooms citywide are getting air conditioners and fans.
UFT President Randi Weingarten urged members to notify the union of any heat conditions that might pose a health risk to students or staff even if their principals or superintendents object.
“Members should not be afraid to alert the UFT to unhealthful conditions in the schools,” Weingarten said. “These record-setting heat waves can pose a serious health risk to students and staff with asthma and other conditions, and teachers can’t teach and students can’t learn under such circumstances. So educators should be sure to let the union know if their classrooms are too hot and uncomfortable.”
