MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students will be heading back to school on Tuesday with temperatures in the 90's.
For Angela Harris, a first-grade teacher in the district and the chairwoman of the Black Educators Caucus, it will be the third school year in a row she's had to prepare for keeping her students, and herself, cool during a heat wave.
The last two years have seen school cancellations because of heat, and for early start students, there have already been two cancellations related to extreme heat.
"I definitely flashed back immediately to last school year, there were a couple of days when we were getting close to 95-degree threshold," Harris said.
She said that she brought fans and a cooler of water bottles into her classroom last year and kept the windows open. Still, it didn't help.
"Every single scholar in the classroom had their head down on the table because it was so hot," Harris recalled.
As of 2021, just 17% of MPS school buildings were fully equipped with air conditioning.
"I think there needs to be an assessment done of our school buildings. We need to address those buildings that are facing some of the highest temperatures and are having some of the biggest issues as it relates to keeping them cool first," Harris said.
A study from the American Economic Association found that when classrooms are 75 degrees or warmer it reduces that year's learning by 1%. The learning loss from heat is three times as impactful for Black and Hispanic students.
"We need to think about a way that we can create cool school plans that are equitable," Harris said about addressing the heat throughout the district. "We need to address these inequities so that we're not disproportionately impacting our students of color and their learning."
When we asked Harris about the possibility of the first day of class being canceled she said, "The first day of school is one of the most important days of our school year. It's how we set the tone for the remainder of the school year... So, would I like to see school canceled [Tuesday]? No. Do I want educators and students to be safe? 100%."
MPS said its threshold for canceling school due to heat is a heat index of 95 degrees or higher. On Monday, MPS said its schools will dismiss early on Tuesday due to extreme heat.
MPS said in part, "All MPS after-school, recreation, and athletic programs are cancelled. Families should watch for communications from their child’s school."
According to MPS, all schools will start at their regular times with dismissals as follows:
- Schools that begin at 7:25 a.m. will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m.
- Schools that begin at 8:00 a.m. will be dismissed at 11:50 a.m.
- Schools that begin at 9:05 a.m. will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m.
- Schools that begin at 9:10 a.m. will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m.
- Schools that begin at 9:15 a.m. will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m.
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