Teachers and students at some local public elementary schools are feeling the heat amid record-high temperatures in London this week.
Roughly 60 per cent of elementary schools within the Thames Valley District School Board do not have air conditioning or cooling systems.
“Safe to say that it’s been very, very difficult when you have classroom temperatures in the mid to high 80s,” said Craig Smith, president of the London chapter of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.
“Teachers are doing their best in the circumstances to find cool spaces to be able to do some work with the students, but I do think that we’re also hearing that parents are withdrawing their students while it is as hot as it is.”
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is calling on the province to take steps to relieve the heat, which could include installing air conditioning systems in schools that currently don’t have them or setting up cooling stations.
It also says all schools should have a maximum indoor temperature requiring action — including shutting down for the day if necessary — when it’s exceeded.
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“As we go into our buildings for specific projects we would certainly look at whether or not we have an opportunity to take some action in terms of providing air conditioning or other cooling systems to deal with heat waves like we’re having now,” said Jim McKenzie, acting superintendent of facility services and capital planning with the Thames Valley District School Board.
“Certainly, any major renovation or addition or new school that’s built, air conditioning is included in that construction, but renovating facilities becomes a different issue in terms of the cost involved.”
ETFO President Sam Hammond says the union realizes air conditioning can be expensive but says the current haphazard approach can have serious health impacts for children and staff including asthma.
The lack of air conditioning in schools was a hot topic at Queen’s Park Tuesday where the official opposition leader demanded that Premier Kathleen Wynne implement a maximum temperature level.
“I’d like to get the input of public health officials of what is appropriate but I do think we should have maximum temperatures,” said PC Party Leader Patrick Brown.
During Question Period, Wynne said her government has provided funding to schools.
“We have worked to provide additional funds to schools because we recognize that the majority of schools in the province were built years ago when we didn’t have on a regular basis the kinds of peak hot periods that we have,” she said. “We certainly didn’t have them in September.”
With files from The Canadian Press
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