Discussions

Any idea if there is a provincial law or regulations on when a school should be shutdown due to heat? I’m hearing that many kids are going home sick, schools having lights off, teachers bringing in fans that ultimately does nothing. How is this safe for the kids and workers? Are the kids even able to learn when they all have their heads on the desk? Anyone have suggestions?

What school is without AC?? That can’t be safe, or comfortable…

A great number of schools do not have AC or it does not work. One high school room was 28 this morning at 8:00. Another school was 25 at 7:00. But city hall can shut down because the AC needed fixed?

Hardly any of the schools have AC, and the ones that do only have it in one or two rooms. It’s like an oven and has made quite a few people sick.

One school in Brandon the class was at 31. I can’t believe this is even allowed

Have you tried contacting the school division to see? I’d be curious their response as that sounds like a health and safety issue. City of Brandon shut down because their a/c wasn’t working, but classrooms full of kids are just supposed to continue on. I was in Dollarama on the weekend and the A/C was broken. It was disgustingly hot in there, felt so bad for the staff.  
I can’t imagine hundreds of kids sitting in this all day. Please give them a call in the morning.

I had no idea. My daughter said their school has air thankfully.

So out of complete curiosity the people who are shocked about no air - did you school here in Brandon? Im assuming things didn’t digress since your schooling, so I’m curious to know why all the shock? Not saying no air is okay, because it’s not. It just raised my interest on a different note.

Humans existed for eons without air conditioning. Is it really that much of a crisis that a child is in a building for a few hours a day with no air conditioning? Enough with the first world problems already...

Personally I went to school in another province and it wasn’t an issue. My kids went to school here, but I kept them home on the extremely hot/cold days. But I also don’t remember a time where it was this hot, for this long, this early in the season either. So there is no cool downs in between. They said May was the second hottest ever on record. So that tells me it’s not a common occurrence.  
We may have functioned without air conditioning, etc in the past. But we also functioned without car seats, air bags, seatbelts and helmets too. Things change and we learn how to make things safer for all.  
Heat exhaustion is no joke, hence why they put out so many heat warnings.  
And clearly making kids/teachers sick, isn’t safe.

The schools are closed during the hottest months (July/August). June this year has been unseasonable hot, but by the end of the week it will be back to normal June temps. You can't honestly expect the BSD to upgrade or add AC to every school simply because it got hot in June. If your precious angels cant take the heat in the school keep them home. My wife works in one of the high schools, and she said it has been brutal especially upstairs, but accepts that it's not normally this hot this time of year. If you feel it's a safety concern contact the BSD, or work place safety. They will be the ones to make the call.

humans haven't been attending school inside concrete buildings for "eons". yes our species has survived without AC but it's much easier to cool off in water and wind than inside a stifling building with minimal air circulation.

I agree with this. There's a reason why in hot climates they have sleeping porches etc. Or why at the farm growing up, we would laze around in the shade of the big cottonwood with the prairie breeze to cool off.  
 
Our church isn't air conditioned, and even for the hour or two it's brutal. I had multiple music rehearsals there yesterday and I was knackered by the end. And I had time to cool off between them! The building didn't even really have bodies in it either.  
 
I can't imagine what some of those classrooms must be like with 25+ kids crammed into some of them.

And for those of you who are wondering what people are complaining about I challenge you to spend a day in a classroom under these conditions. There is no shade to seek or cool areas to go to. I don't expect schools to be closed however I do feel the school division needs to do more.

This is just an observation, between then and now. I went to Fleming and the stifling heat was just as bad as it is now, but things were handled differently in those days. Some classes were held in the basement and outside in the shade at the park on the North side. Pitchers of iced water and lemonade were brought in by our teacher. Fleming was a "bussed school", so options of leaving early didn't exist, but this was a time in history that teachers had definitely more say and control with their classes. Like leaving school property to play baseball at the local diamond, going to the park & doing a simple class on the grass in the shade, walking over to Dairy Queen for a treat that was paid out of our teachers pocket. And all without permission forms or notifications to the parents. Nothing bad ever happened (other then I lost half of my ice cream off the stick). Maybe we were just good kids that listened and respected (feared) our teacher. Or maybe it was a time not weighted down by rules and policy and those in charge of the kids were actually in charge of the kids. Teachers that applied their own judgements on what could be possible done to beat the heat until the bus came. TRY THAT, NOW. It can't happen. Remember that huge cooler of orange flavored, sugar water from McDonalds that sometimes came? ...considered now to be unhealthy and can't be accepted, because of corporate sponsorship rules. Those chocolate dipped ice creams on a stick? ...requires permission slips from parents. Spontaneous class trips outside or off school grounds to do something, other than sweating to the desk? ...some kids may not like sports or have allergies or have parents that are simply "bitter pills" with society. Remember those massive old sash hung windows in the old schools that actually let the air in? ...replaced with windows that open up one single square foot at it's max, because the old windows opened up too much and there was no screen or mesh to keep the kiddies from falling out. It also doesn't help the airflow that the classroom doors are required to be closed, so whatever breeze could be happening through that newer, tiny, widow opening isn't happening. Let's not forget the aftereffect of the COVID years... Parent groups demanding to upgrade the HVAC systems to have HEPA filters installed and the removal of ceiling and portable fans in classrooms to prevent the spread of the virus. Budgets were completely blown to have those upgrades for "filtered airflow" when for the same money, better heating and cooling could have been installed.  
 
I am so glad, I didn't grow up in this decade. The adults in control are so screwed in the head. They just keep complaining, demanding and then blaming every one else for the problems they created when people do answer and take actions towards resolving those complaints and demands. Hey, no one died from the "big open windows" of my time, because we weren't stupid enough to climb out. Some of them slammed down on their own, and we knew that book or piece of wood kept it from coming down on our necks. The "fresh air" filled with pollen, dust, bugs and the surprising bumble bee or bird didn't effect my health or happiness. But someone's happiness must have been diminished enough to fill in those windows with the ones we have, now. No unscheduled activities. No unapproved treats. No leaving the school property, unless granted permission and following strict protocols. Simple field trips are now complex liabilities. WTH??? I grew up with the "free range parenting strategy" and yes, there were a few flaws in the idealism of letting kids roam & discover and to allow complete trust of the kid or towards someone to manage your child... But, I believe the "bubble wrapped/hover/bulldozer parenting" and the "everyone gets a say" is far more harmful with restrictive laws & policies that completely dissolves trust for anyone and diminishes the spirits of the administration, teachers and especially the kids.  
 
WE ARE THE BLAME for our kids misery and the direct results to why our kids are stuck in an oven with a smart board with sweat running down the cracks of their @$$es. We tell the school to inform us of everything they plan and do nothing until an approval. We impose/demand our rights to create policies to restrict school or teacher actions or decisions to a point that nothing gets or can be done. We call for and demand such strict safety standards that conflicts with common sense that new problems occur. We constantly complain to the school and the public to such a point that real concerns fall on deaf ears and get overlooked. Yes, the schools built "easy bake ovens" for classrooms, but it was us that made them worse of kids to endure in them.  
 
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

As we whine that there is no AC in school for the last few days of the school year ( a luxury that the tax payer would foot the bill for I might add), innocent people are dying in various war zones around the world through no fault of their own, especially Ukraine . We can use mitigate a hot classroom in various ways and we can dress accordingly and drink water, those people can’t escape those wars.

We are allowed to have both problems simultaneously lol.  
 
Innocent people dying in a war a zone = bad.  
 
Children and staff suffering ill effects due to an unusual heat wave, which probably is disproportionately effecting people of lower socio-economic status due to the age of infrastructure = also bad.  
 
(Note: Newer schools almost certainly have a/c or some sort of air exchange system that provides some cooling. My kids' schools always have. So will the the homes of the children who attend these schools. The schools that don't have a/c, I'm assuming, will overwhelmingly be in older neighborhoods and fewer of those homes will have a/c. So it becomes a socio-ecomomic issue as well. That also = bad.  
 
So if you really want to get to the nuts and bolts of it, it becomes an issue of housing affordability where taxpayers in poorer neighborhoods are already paying for a/c in richer neighborhoods. Seems fair.)

Here's a news piece from Winnipeg on how the heat has been impacting students.  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-extreme-heat-schools-2023-1.6867079  
 
Edit to add: I heard it was 37 degrees in a high school classroom today.  
 
Edit 2: The article actually confirms some of the assumptions I made in a post above.  
 
Edited by Abbysmum, 2023-06-06 20:22:12

In addition to those numbers, we need to keep in mind this heat wave has been happening for weeks already. Looks like we might get 1-3 cooler days at the end of the week but the predicted high is 31 on Sunday and 34 again by Monday. It's the sheer grind of it at this point that is making for trouble. We've written off so much schooling the past few years, and the kids who can afford to have school interrupted the least are the ones who are effected the most by this.

.....schools when I was in school, we moved outside on hot day and in the shade and we survived, was uncomfortable but not life threatening.....

The 45 minute bus ride home on the old dusty buses was worse than sitting in the class room with no A/C.  
 
Just a reminder to do a friendly check on your neighbors that have no A/C that they are making out O.K.  
 
We took a truck drive yesterday in the A.C. to get cooled down. The dog appreciated it more than us.

Not sure what the problem is . High school here in Brandon in 2001 had A/C.  
Having moved around a lot before high school, elementary schools in Manitoba,Ontario and Newfoundland had a/c. It’s 2023 and with the weather changes there’s no reason to have kids locked up in this heat. All 3 of my kids showed signs of dehydration and since when do you need a hall pass to get water . It’s a joke really. I work outdoors all year and I can handle it . Kids don’t know any better and we put trust in the schools and schools board to make sure our kids have a safe learning environment.If they don’t have a/c then send the kids outside. The old days are gone and technology has advanced. Get with the program BSD.

I remember school closing when it was too cold AND too hot. I don’t remember if our school had a/c but I’m thinking it didn’t.  
 
Lots of schools don’t have a/c or it’s only the gym that does. Or they have ac but it’s either broken or not cool enough. A lot of schools have them on timers as well and then the evening staff sweat cuz they can’t turn it on  
 
I don’t care about what we did in the past. It’s the past. This is 2023, we know better, can do better and can advocate for better environments.  
 
It is not fair to the teachers and students to have to teach and learn in this heat. It is hotter in the schools than it is outside! Don’t forget about the custodial staff either! They are there cleaning for 3-7 hours with no a/c. They go home a mess and feeling unwell. Then are expected to do it all again tomorrow. They’re told to take extra breaks…but the work still has to be done so unless the staff want to work OT and go UNPAID, extra breaks aren’t the solution.  
 
Hope everyone stays hydrated and healthy! Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke!!

BSD needs to fit old schools with air conditioners. Some (newer) schools have it, but others never have.  
 
 
Spring and fall can be sweltering. How many days of 25-35 degree temps in class is ‘acceptable’ to people?!  
The answer should be ZERO.  
 
Twenty-five student bodies and two staff in a small class with 'fans' is a nightmare.  
 
If it was entire schools with twenty classrooms full of 25 adults each, would A/C be installed?  
I believe it would.

The likelihood of more hot days earlier in the summer (according to climate change models) will likely necessitate this discussion at all schools. Essentially a climate change adaptation.

Easiest solution would be to have the kids be done school the first week of June. My kids do almost nothing in school during June.

While it would be nice to have everything all sunshine and roses for everyone.....the reality is that it isn't....I am left thinking that the as sad as it is....the "good old days" are gone.....We survived quite fine without a/c in school....and at home....a/c was a luxury only the well to do could afford....fast forward to today....I am will to bet that not all the school children have a/c at home....what is next....people are going to think that it is up to some government program to install a/c in each and every home....when does it stop....the "sizzling hot" season that does rear up during the school year is no reason to spend millions of dollars for short term comfort....I for one am really tired of my tax dollars being used to appease some uncomfortable folks for a couple of weeks a year......the money would be better spent on actual education for the uncomfortable folks....

Used to work at a daycare in a school that did have air conditioning. They shut the ac off during the summer break even though the daycare would still operate. It would get up to 30 degrees and we had children from 3 months to 6 years. Kids and staff got heat stroke, it was miserable.

Having them start summer break in June would just mean that May becomes the new June imo  
 
Instead of going on about how we all managed to get by without ac, why not advocate for comfortable work conditions for those still in those buildings? I can guarantee any one of you would be saying how hot it is at work if you were in their shoes. I realize there are many workplaces that don’t have ac but why wouldn’t you want more places to be comfortable? I don’t get that part.  
 
I agree with the person who said that these hot days are most likely going to increase year after year. I also agree that if it was 25 adults working in the classrooms, they would be fighting for ac!!  
 
Again, closing schools for extreme heat is not unheard of. I graduated in 04 and can remember the elementary school closing for being too hot.  
 
But we suffered through and so you must continue to suffer through!!! (Sarcasm font hehe)