DETROIT – Back to school one day, then back at home the next, as thousands of parents across the country scramble to find childcare after finding out school is closed due to the dangerous heat gripping much of the country, including Metro Detroit.
While parents are given a long list of school supplies to buy each year, many districts aren’t providing one of the most important items for learning: cool, clean air.
According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, 41% of public school districts across the country need to replace or upgrade their HVAC systems. That’s as many as 36,000 schools, and many of those schools are right here in Metro Detroit.
In 2023, over 75% of Detroit Public School Community District schools did not have fully working air conditioning.
Consider this estimate if you’re thinking school was never closed for heat when you were a kid and you didn’t have air conditioning.
According to a Center for Climate Integrity study, more than 10.8 million students will see three more weeks of school days over 80 degrees than they did in 1970.
Growing research also shows that hot classrooms are detrimental to learning.
In one study, students scored increasingly worse on standardized tests when temperatures rose above 80 degrees.
Student achievement, absenteeism, and disciplinary referrals have all been linked to schools without air conditioning.
It may be a long, hot road, but there is hope, and you can help.
A historic opportunity arrived in the form of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which was signed into law in 2021 to help the nation recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through their tireless advocacy, the ARP, which NEA members and activists helped secure, set aside nearly $170 billion for public schools -- the single largest-ever investment in education funding.
According to a recent report by the Center for Green Schools, school districts prioritized a significant amount of the available funding to pay for costly HVAC upgrades and support indoor air quality for their students and staff. This was the second-highest category for district planned spending, behind staffing.