Heat Dome Forces School Closures in 8 States

School just started, and students are already getting a break from the books. The late-summer heat wave is forcing schools to dismiss early or pivot to remote learning. Here is a look at how school districts across the U.S. have been impacted by this week's heat wave.

Late-Summer Heat Disrupts Start to School Year in Eight States

Students in Milwaukee attended the first day of school and then were home again on the second day as soaring temperatures forced district officials to cancel classes. A similar situation unfolded in Detroit when the district's roughly 54,000 students were dismissed early as the mercury reached 98 degrees.

An expansive heat dome across the Plains, the Midwest, and the mid-Atlantic is being blamed for the learning disruptions right when the new school year is getting started. At least 18 school districts throughout eight states have had to make difficult decisions about how to handle the late-season heat.

Schools constructed decades ago do not have the technology needed to support modern air conditioning. The timing of the heat wave as students return from summer break has turned the classrooms into an oven. A 2020 U.S. Government Accountability Office study revealed that 41% of school districts in the U.S. need to update or replace HVAC systems in at least half of their schools.

While some parents were understandably frustrated by the rough start to the year, district officials say that they are just following the predetermined guidance. For instance, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) said that they cancelled classes on Wednesday based on guidance from the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD). Most MPS facilities do not have central air conditioning, meaning the forecast high of 90 degrees on Wednesday would put students and staff at risk of heat-related illnesses.

Other Cities Forced to Make Changes to Learning Schedule

Some students were not off the hook completely. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) shifted 35 of its buildings to remote learning on Tuesday through Thursday. The PPS Extreme Heat Protocol dictates that these changes to the learning model be made when the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts outdoor readings at 85 degrees or above, or a heat index of 90 degrees or higher.

Officials in Philadelphia ran shortened school schedules on Tuesday and Thursday across 52 schools. Several school districts in Ohio also implemented the early dismissal protocol due to the heat. Neighboring Michigan also ran half days on Wednesday in at least five districts.

Moving into the Plains, Kansas City students were let out of class early on Monday when the temperatures hit the century mark.

Data from Climate Central demonstrates that this problem is not going to ease in the long-term. Summer temperatures persist an average of 10 days later into fall in the 227 U.S. when compared to the early 1970s.

Will school go off without a hitch next week? The long-range forecast is calling for temperatures to ease across the mid-Atlantic and portions of the Midwest. However, more extreme heat could trigger additional learning disruptions in the central U.S.

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