Summer isn’t over yet. Although Philadelphia saw fall-like temperatures last week, extreme heat is back on the horizon. As a result, dozens of Philadelphia schools will have early dismissal Tuesday and Wednesday.
Early Dismissal
The 2024-2025 school year has just begun in Philadelphia. Now 68 schools across the city will be dismissing students early Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a direct result of the extreme heat and rising temperatures forecasted for our area. Temperatures are expected to climb to 90 degrees on Tuesday and on Wednesday, the heat index will reach 105.
Unfortunately, about 28% of Philly schools lack the necessary cooling units and air conditioners to combat the heat. Specifically, 63 out of the district’s 218 schools do not have adequate air conditioning.
Those schools will be dismissed three hours early. The schools with proper climate control will remain in school for the full day.
“We realize that early dismissals, especially during the first week of school, can present challenges for many families,” Oz Hill, the district’s acting chief deputy superintendent of operations, said in a message to parents. “Please know that these decisions, which we do not make lightly, are always made with the safety of our students and staff as our top priority.”
The Issue At Hand
While early dismissal may be a quick and appropriate response to dealing with this week’s high temperatures, it does not address the greater issue at hand. To educate students across Philadelphia without disruptions due to climate control, air conditioning is needed across all schools.
However, officials have said they won’t be able to fully cool all district schools until 2027. Because many of the district’s budding are almost 75 years old, the infrastructure and electrical service needed to support air-conditioning to a whole school is insufficient.
On Monday morning, Superintending Tony B. Watlington, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Philadelphia), others gathered at Finletter Elementary in Olney. The goal was to advocate for greater federal investment to handle such dire school infrastructure shortcomings.