School District Of Philadelphia Updates Protocols For Extreme Heat For Remainder Of School Year
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The School District of Philadelphia has updated its protocols for extreme heat for the remainder of the school year after schools were recently dismissed early due to temperatures rising. The District says when outside temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 85 degrees, or a heat index of 90 or higher for one or more days, they will begin to monitor the temperature inside each school.
As they monitor the temperatures, they will make a decision to protect the health and well-being of the students in staff within the schools. If temperatures inside the schools reach 90 degrees or high, they will determine if a shift to virtual learning or other action is necessary.
The District says they'll make the decision as early as possible, preferably the day before, in order to minimize the last minute disruption for the students, families, and staff.
The District also says that they only plan to make this decision for schools that do not have sufficient air conditioning systems to keep temperatures below 90 degrees.
There's about 100 school buildings that currently do not have sufficient air conditioning systems to regulate the temperatures inside the instructional spaces.
The District says they've been working urgently over the past five years to install and update the air conditioning systems in their schools. They say it could take two years to complete due to the extensive work and available capacity and resources for each project.
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