DAYTON — As school officials are gearing up to handle the heat and the impact on students, News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins talked with the superintendent of Dayton Public Schools about what they are doing to make sure all its A/C units are working in school buildings.
Dr. David Lawrence said, “We actually closed school at the beginning of last year. Louis Troy was closed for a couple of days because of the heat. And we also had a situation at Ponitz that we had to react to quickly.”
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On Tuesday, around lunchtime, the temperature on the sidewalk was 95 degrees, which is why school leaders are being proactive when it comes to keeping students cool.
“The Board of Education, along with our business manager, put together a plan so that we can have an additional $31 million to be able to deal with these types of operational concerns. And so, we’re taking a very close look at our buildings,” Dr. Lawrence said.
So far this school year, at least two school districts in the Miami Valley have altered their schedules because of extreme heat. But not any of the Dayton Public Schools. Dr. Lawrence said it’s because of their hands-on maintenance team.
“Monitoring HVAC, and we also can monitor it electronically so that they can see those things without having to be in each building,” Dr. Lawrence.
The school district is responsible for working air conditioning in classrooms. However, medical professionals at Dayton Children’s said parents should be mindful of what their student is wearing.
Dr. Lora Scott, Chief of Sports Medicine at Dayton Children’s, said, “Anything they’re wearing, heavy book bag, even like I saw my daughter leave for school today in a sweater.”
Dr. Scott goes on to say that every student is different, and if they spend most of the summer inside, they might need some extra help during these high temps.
“It’s also important that you keep your eyes on those kids that maybe aren’t keeping up with their peers. They’re the ones that need a lot more attention than some of the others do,” Dr. Scott said.
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