By: Rainy Chen

Recently, temperatures across most regions of the U.S have been soaring into the high 90s (Fahrenheit). This relentless heat had been plaguing people for days on end, reaching degrees hot enough to cause schools to release early.

As a result of global warming, summers are becoming hotter each year. While schools normally do not close for extreme heat, the recent heat wave that struck America has forced them to revise their policies. Part of the reason kids are getting unexpected days off is because of low quality school air conditioning. Over 36,000 American schools need to replace their cooling systems, according to the U.S Accountability Office. Also, securing quality air conditioning has not been considered a high priority issue for school districts, at least compared to school shootings, lack of proper funding, the bus driver shortage, and numerous other problems.

The health of the students was also taken into serious consideration as school boards debated whether or not to temporarily shorten school days. For instance, the Albany school district informed students, teachers, and parents that “Air conditioning systems in all buildings will be running on 24-hour cycles throughout the week, and we encourage all employees and students to wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when the weather is extremely hot, and to stay hydrated.”In the Capital Region, prescheduled Regents exams went ahead as planned. However, some school districts such as Bethlehem arranged for portable AC units to be brought to the exam rooms. Studentsin elementary and middle schools received half days off. Despite the extreme temperatures, schools prevailed in trying to provide their students the best possible educational experience.