Back to school time is always filled with anticipatory energy. It is so fun to get new school supplies and find out who your new teachers are. As climate change continues to impact our world, going back to school without the proper air conditioning makes learning tough.
Schools around the US are facing this issue. Studies show that students do not learn well in a hot classroom, but fixing the air conditioning is an expensive undertaking. School districts and parents are having to get creative.
The National Council on School Facilities found that 41% of schools had imperfect air conditioning systems. Another study published in 2020 in medical journal Nature Human Behaviour found that when the temperature is over 80 degrees in a standardized testing classroom, scores are lower. No one wants to learn or is able to perform well when it is too hot. A 2023 study by the the Environmental Protection Agency found climate change could negatively impact students' academic success and future adult incomes.
Tom Parent, the executive director of operations for Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota, is working to solve this problem in his district but it is not an easy fix. "It's expensive to get systems that perform to modern expectations," he explained. "We’re trying to [make sure] that these buildings are relevant and supporting our kids for where education is going.”
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Students in Salem, Oregon, are not as lucky. Their classrooms have no air conditioning and heat-reducing window-films are being used in its place. The teachers union in Polk County, Florida, filed a class-action grievance over its district's air conditioning problems.
Parents can advocate for their child’s learning and future by attending school board meetings, speaking directly to the district office, and helping raise funds for air conditioning.
