To think closing schools or making them "optional" during the heatwave is putting pressure on working parents and is just a bit silly?

[Suchevilforebodings]

This doesn't actually effect me directly as neither of my children's schools have closed.
But some of the schools iny area are either closing or are making school optional IE: it won't be marked as absence.
I mean.... Really? Do kids actually need tome off because it's hot?
And is it fair on working parents to send out an email the day before to say school is closed? This heatwave was forecast last week.
Even making it "optional" puts the pressure on as the kids will want to stay off and many of their friends will be.
I just think it's bullshit tbh

Have you sat in a room that’s 40”

On that note, AIBU to be a bit pissed off by this comment from my SIL when I told her that we're currently in a red area and lots of schools are optionally closing in the afternoons here?!! 😄
Btw, I'm an ex primary teacher - 24 years in education and still going!
"Madness to have aircon for the odd heatwave. Just needs more common sense and proper hydration!"

Our little 9 year old and his smaller brother 7 came home early today, school gave option either way but the older boy has epilepsy and we worry as heat can be a trigger for a seizure

You have to rememebr that even during covid the goevernment gave more time/meetings and recognition to a group of parents that were annnoyed aabout having to parent their kids.

It is also very likely that the second school closure wouldn't have happened if the government had listened to the teachers.

Most people dislike teachers as they're very lazy and fail to prioritise everyone else's children - sometimes even before their own. They don't deserve any respect as a profession - either from parents or students.
This is popular opinion.
Ask me how I know.
And yes - I am disgusted by it.

Unless things have changed, teachers can only campaign about their pay and conditions, not the buildings they are in as these are individual. I would imagine that individual cases involving H&S could be brought by the union(s).

@echt The unions are, in essence, rubbish. Overwhelmed as you can imagine, but also simply not as proactive as they should be.

I'm sorry to hear it.

Oh you are the kind of parent who takes them on holiday in term time but won't take them out when a life threating heatwave is affecting kids in the classroom 😯 got it

@echt Another of the many reasons I got out of teaching when I could. 22 years of it was enough, and the job used to be reasonable!

Oh I did take my eldest 2 out of school in term time to go on holiday -WITH the schools permission At the time it was at the discretion of the head teacher

And I don't remember any " life threatening " heat waves when they were at school tbh

@Thechaseison71 How old are your children?

YABVU
The students in old buildings without any ventilation or Aircon have been baking.
They have resorted to soaking their shirts through at breaks then moaning to me.
Bottles needing filling up and toilet demands, fatigue/sleepiness/heads on desks, nausea/heatstroke, inability to focus, pretend fainting, stinky sweaty stifling classrooms
Nope.
You wouldn't leave a dog in a hot car.
So whilst it is inconvenient for some, it is reasonable to close. They do it in other countries.

UABU - my children went to school today and we had to collect the eldest as he was so unwell from the heat!
They’re both primary aged and were only allowed outside for 10 minutes and not allowed to run around.
They won’t be going in tomorrow as I think we’ll have the same again and eldest was not himself all afternoon and had ice packs and calpol and was still hot and queasy at bedtime. 🙁

I think optional would be best for all schools - then some parents, who are able to, can keep them off and it means the ones who need to be in school for childcare are in a room with less hot bodies.
They will not be learning or retaining anything in this heat.

Adults 2 of them in their 30s and another is 22. Why?

Well there is week, it's literally the point of this discussion

@Thechaseison71 Thought as much. There's this "thing" known as climate change...

And I don't remember any " life threatening " heat waves when they were at school tbh

Do you not think that's because they weren't happening?

How do you know that?

Not in my school, most of the pupils are sent home at mid-day but staff have to stay in school and ‘work in the cooler rooms’

I'm laughing at the slightly silly people thinking the teachers go home once the kids do!

My youngest only left 4 years ago. Not changed that much in such a short period.

Should have asked her why its ok to have kids sitting in temps that its illegal to transport cattle under.

@Thechaseison71 That's where you'd be wrong.

@JenniferBooth The irony is she's a senior A&E nurse!!

Well you can't tell me that I'm the parent to who takes them on holiday in term time ( which wasn't a bloody crime anyway) then moans about schools closing.

It's called having a discussion and I can see why people are frustrated with the whole thing.

Too much contradictory messages. For example" their your kids not the schools responsibleiky". Ok that's fair enough but then how does that tally with ,," you can't take them on holiday in term time without punishment"

To days like today when kids were doing water play and spending time under the shade of the trees ( so not curriculum work) but if you date to keep them off yourself to go somewhere ismts " every day counts and always learning)

This stuff just goes add up