With temperatures on the rise as summer closes in, District 95 recently released the results of a survey concerning establishing procedures for excessive heat.
The District received 1,898 responses to the April survey, 72 percent of responders were from parents. The survey addressed the policies currently in place on days when temperatures have a heat index of at least 97 degrees, according to the District website.
Currently, five buildings in the District do not have air conditioning: Isaac Fox, May Whitney, Sarah Adams, and Seth Paine elementary schools and Middle School South. The policy presently in place is that the three buildings with air conditioning—Middle School North, Spencer Loomis Elementary School, and LZHS—would remain in school for the entire school day. Regardless of heat index, the five schools without air conditioning have four options when temperatures are too high: amend the school calendar to start school at a later date, dismiss school after five hours of instruction, apply an emergency day for the entire district, or apply an interrupted day, where school would be dismissed after one hour of instruction.
Results of the survey revealed that 74 percent of parents and 64 percent of staff members would be in favor of closing school for the non-conditioned buildings on days with high heat and humidity. Also, 75 percent of staff members and 65 percent of parents are in favor of dismissing schools without air conditioning after five hours.
In an effort to minimize school cancellations, the District would also consider installing air conditioning in the five buildings currently without it. However, costs to install it would be approximately 20 million dollars. The survey showed that 54 percent of both parents and staff would be in favor of a tax increase to support the costs of the installation, according to the District’s website.
To view the full results of the emergency heat procedure survey, visit http://www.lz95.org/district_95_heat_survey_results_and_heat_procedures_now_available/.