AIBU to question calls for schools to close during hot weather?

[Alwaysperplexedwithlife]

I am so perplexed about parents wanting schools to close in this heat. My house is nearing 40 degrees and I have hybrid working so on wfh days I’m sweltering. I’m happier that my child is in the classroom where she has told me it’s ‘only’ 30 degrees! She is still learning, is happy and is also not thinking it is an excuse to not be in school which is a great trait to have. Has never entered her mind so why are parents pushing this to give their kids an excuse to not be in school and ultimately it not transverse into working life of not having an excuse to not go to work! This is the hidden agenda I see coming from this and nothing to do with the health of the child. Are the parents pushing this also work shy parents themselves? (Medical reasons exempt from this discussion)

This won’t end well for you OP. Apparently schools are hotter than mercury the past few weeks.

Er, because some of the conditions kids are expected to experience are dangerous to life?

My kids don’t even have a fan in their classrooms. It’s boiling. I’m just keeping them home where we have aircon and a pool

If your house is close to 40 you need to go outside and cool down, not martyr yourself for a boss who doesn’t care while complaining about people who put their/their kids health first. That’s not a safe working temperature.

I don’t see how an employer can be responsible for the temperature in an employees home.

The problem is that houses vary a lot as do home lives - keeping dc at home my be more pleasant and safer in one household but far more dangerous in another as the house is hotter and there’s nobody at home watching the 9 year old plus no nutritious food.

perhaps allowing parents to keep dc off in cases where they believe it’s in the best interest of the child especially medically speaking is best, I’ve got no aircon at home and no fans, my kids never missed school due to heat either

She is still learning

No, she isn't. Kids can't learn when it is really hot and plenty of studies have shown this.

They are supposed to risk assess whether your home working conditions are safe. So they could risk assess that wasnt safe and to come into the office or supply equipment to make it safe.

My classroom was 31 degrees a couple of weeks ago (when it was 38 degrees outside) and we closed in the afternoons as we genuinely didn't see how we could keep the children safe. We didn't have enough fans for every classroom.

I do agree some homes are hot though, but you at least only have your own children to worry about and keep cool.

Never had my house at 40 degrees though! Where do you live, the sun?

Please do go in and offer to help for an hour. Then pop back and tell us how amazing it was. No one learning this week, they are sweating in humid, non ventilated rooms with 30+ people in them.
But do go listen to some readers. It will be sooo much fun.

I think OP has kind of undermined her own argument by exempting medical conditions. The problem is, even perfectly healthy people can be susceptible to heatstroke at extreme temperatues (and make no mistake - this is extreme heat) never mind all those with undiagnosed conditions.

Presumably OP doesn't believe in climate change either.

My classroom is currently 42. It's holding so much residual heat I'm not sure it will cool down for weeks. One fan, 2 windows open an inch and one door opens onto a corridor of glass. Yup, so well designed !!!!

I work in a school that didn’t shut and is unlikely to ever. It was still horrendous last week for staff but even worse for children.

There was no learning going on, children couldn’t focus on anything other than fighting who could get closest to the fan!

So they should apply heaters in the winter to staff working at home as well? Also if they supply fans/heaters who pays for the electricity they use?

One person at home is likely to be much cooler than a class of 30 children in a classroom. Imagine 30 young people in a small confined space and you’ll be very close to the reality.

@Alwaysperplexedwithlife your house is 40°?

Oh my God, what does it go down at night?

Schools can’t win! Stay open and you get people saying how cruel it is making students work in a sauna - close and everyone begins the national sport of bashing the “lazy teachers who will do anything for a day off”

When our students got send home early, the teachers absolutely had to remain in school!

The fact that it works for you and your child doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Some schools are hotter, some houses are cooler, some kids don’t cope as well with heat as your does, obviously!

Personally id rather be at work as my office is 19 degrees which is far better than home, but if school felt the need to close I’d support it because they no what works best in their building for all the kids and staff.

Children are also not 'happy' in hot classrooms, they are tired, lethargic and sweaty. Some get heat exhaustion and are ill. Some faint, vomit or have nosebleeds. They're not learning and ask 'what is the point of being here'.

The point is apparently to keep people like the OP happy. Poor kids.

Schools are very much damned either way. I think this is where parent choice has to come in and parents should not be penalised either way.

My DDs school is modern, has wrap around shade and is generally quite cool in warm weather. However, when it was above 28 degrees for days at a time and over 19 degrees at night the other week it was very hot and uncomfortable for them and quite a few of DDs friends who stopped at school for the whole day were quite poorly with heat exhaustion by Thursday. We are lucky, we have an Aircon unit at home so I was able to keep us in our lounge somewhat cool.

I also don't blame any parents who are sending their children to school in the heat and very much need schools to stop open where possible. At this time of the year pretty much every working parent has completely exhausted their AL (covering school holidays) and is now relying on workplace goodwill for last minute school closures. I am fortunate, I work for our own business very part time, term time only and this year I'm on Maternity leave. However, any other year I really do need these last few weeks to tie all the loose ends up before I finish for the summer.

I do wonder if as a county we need to address the school holiday structure. Most of our hottest weather seems to be taking place in June/ July before cooling off (usually raining) in August. Perhaps shifting the holiday to mid June/ July with pupils returning in August would work better. Obviously there would need to be notice/ transition but could happen over the course of a couple of years.

Most of our hottest weather seems to be taking place in June/ July before cooling off (usually raining) in August.

Actually, this is not quite correct. The hottest weather is normally mid-July through to end of August, which is why this year's heatwaves in May and June were so unprecedented.

I’ve already had one child sent home today before we get hotter again.

Schools don’t have air con or enough fans. 30 plus bodies in one room. No shade outside. Can’t bring in their own fans either.

At home my children can relax in front of a fan or jump in the pool, sit under the canopy with a breeze by the trees.

Why is your house so hot? The school I work in gave parents the option to pick up at lunchtime and about 80/90% did. It was much hotter in my 32 degree (by 10.30am) classroom then in my house. It meant the small group of kids left could be moved to the coolest part of the school. I think that struck the right balance.
Even if they are in school in 35 degree heat they won't be learning. It's purely a babysitting service which some parents do need..
Hopefully they won't close this time and we can manage it.

It does feel like it's changing and getting hotter earlier in the year. The summer where it was 40oC in 2022 started end of May. I guess we're getting longer, hotter summers now.

Schools need to adapt, children can't just stop learning.

So pe kit as soon as the temp goes above 25 degrees. Drinking water stations in every class room (don't have to be expensive).
Blinds to keep out sun, windows that open and allow a through draft.

Factor 50 always available. Shade, preferably trees in play grounds. Lunches that meet warm weather needs.