How hot is too hot for school when there's no air conditioning? (2024)

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Hot temperatures have been causing some schools in Northeast Ohio to implement an early release.

(Kelly Reardon, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - School's in. But it's 90 degrees.

So how hot is too hot for school, when kids are in un-air-conditioned old classrooms?

This week, as temperatures climb, some schools across Northeast Ohio have been giving early release for hot temperatures. Noble Academy has an early release today at 1 p.m. for "extreme heat as forecasted."

10 Cleveland metropolitan schools are being dismissed early today for excessive heat: Benjamin Franklin, Charles Eliot, Collinwood, Charles Mooney, Garrett Morgan, Iowa-Maple, Louis Agassiz, Tremont Montessori, Valley View Boys' Leadership Academy, and William Cullen Bryant.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District starts thinking about early release when heat indices reach the 90s. They outlined the following protocol taken during school hours when dangerous heat values are imminent:

Schools with air conditioning:

Plans are in place to rigorously check the conditions of the cooling systems, and will move students to cooler locations if there are any problems.

Schools without air conditioning:

The Child Nutrition Department will provide cool water, box fans, and will continue to monitor each classroom's conditions.

If you're in a school with no air conditioning, fans blow hot air around dim classrooms, and teachers on Facebook ask for prayers to make it through.

You remember those days, right? The hot afternoons at the beginning of the school year. But how hot is too hot? This can depend on a number of factors, so let's break them down.

Heat index: When it comes to talking about dangerous heat conditions, it isn't all about temperature, it's about something called the heat index. According to the National Weather Service, the heat index is the "feel-like" temperature which combines both temperature and humidity.

But why is humidity important when it comes to heat safety?

The way your body cools itself down is by sweating. When it's abnormally humid outside, the air is already saturated with moisture, so it is hard for your sweat to evaporate off your skin and cool you off.

So, the heat index takes into account how easy it is for your body to take the increased heat. The National Weather Service has outlines for what it considers safe, and what is a dangerous heat index. A heat index over 90 degrees, you're supposed to use extreme caution, and a heat index over 103 degrees is consider dangerous. A heat index over 125 degrees? Extremely dangerous.

This is why you may sometimes see a "heat advisory" in effect for your area. These advisories are usually released when heat indices reach over 100 degrees.

The major advantage of an air conditioning unit is not only temperature control, but the control of humidity as well.

The age of your child: According to the Mayo Clinic, the younger the child the less developed their central nervous system is, and the harder it is for them to cope with increases in body temperature. Teens in high school are able to stand higher temperatures and heat indices than children in elementary school.

Previous health conditions: Many chronic illnesses increase your risk for heat stroke.

OSHA recommends an office temperature of 68 to 76 degrees with a humidity of 20 to 60 percent. Over 91 degrees, they highly suggest taking extra precautions: mainly staying hydrated.

But in order to take precautions with students and teachers in a hot school building, you need to know the signs of heat exhaustion and stroke.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the major symptoms of heat exhaustion are:

• Heavy sweating
• Weakness
• Cold, pale, clammy skin
• Nausea or vomiting

And the symptoms of the very serious, medical emergency of heat stroke are:

• High body temperature over 103 degrees
• Hot, red skin
• Rapid and strong pulse
• Possible unconsciousness

What do you think about school closings and early release for extra hot days? Is it safer to take the children out of school, when some may come back to an air conditioned home and some may not? Let us know!

You can read more on heat safety from the National Weather Service here.

Keep checkingcleveland.com/weather for twice daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don't forget to submit any weather questions you may have!

Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com's meteorologist. Please follow me onFacebook and Twitter @kreardon0818.