As schools in Baltimore City and County close for a second day in a row because of hot weather, concerns that students are missing important class time and athletic and after-school events are growing. But school systems are not changing their policies for closing schools during times of intense heat.
Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance sent an email to the school board Thursday night saying he was not considering a change in the policy that requires schools without air-conditioning systems to close when the heat index rises above 90 degrees. He added that he would not revise the policy even for athletics.
"It's not just athletics to consider – it's also other after school events … I have asked our athletics coordinator to do everything possible to reschedule games in working with athletic directors and with the state athletic association," Dance wrote in the email.
Sports teams at schools without air conditioning are currently not allowed to practice outside on days that their school is closed, even though competitors from other schools are practicing. As a result, games are being canceled and students fear they will not be able to make them up, thus jeopardizing their team's record.
Dance told the school board that it would be difficult to allow students to take part in after school activities or athletics when school is closed. Not all students could get from home to school in the afternoon for a practice without a school bus picking them up, he wrote. And the schools transportation system is not flexible enough to allow buses to pick up students from home at the end of the day. There also would be additional costs to providing transportation, he said.
Dance also told the board that he is concerned by the amount of time students in the closed schools have lost.
"With one of the shortest high school days in the state, these lost hours add up," he said. "Routines are important for students so I worry routines have not been fully established."
The closures are causing havoc for students and parents, said Jennifer Tarr, the parent of a Dulaney High School student. She said parents with differing points of view on the heat-related closures have unleashed their anger and frustration on social media. Some want teachers to assign school work that can be done at home. Others say it isn't fair if some students don't have access to computers at home and can't do the assignments.
The one thing parents agree on, Tarr said, is that "Everyone wants to be in school."
All but 11 of the county's 37 schools without air conditioning are scheduled to get air-conditioning this year. Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Garrett County are the only school systems in Maryland that have a large number of schools that are not air-conditioned. Although most of the focus has been on schools in the county, the city has double the number of schools without air-conditioning.
The county instituted the new heat policy in August that required the superintendent to close the non-air-conditioned schools when the heat index rises above 90 degrees. That changed after a backlash from parents angry that their children were missing school. Last week, the county school board amended the policy so that schools would only close if the forecast was for the heat index to rise to 90 before 11 a.m. Dance must now announce the decision to close by 8 p.m. the night before.
The county has closed school four times in the first 12 days of the new school year. The city has closed schools early twice because of heat.
The school board is not considering changing policy, which was last revised in November 2014 and eliminated the stipulation that if temperatures exceeded 85 degrees by 9 a.m. schools could close at least two and half hours early. All weather related closures or early dismissals are now left to the discretion of the city schools CEO.
"The decision to close schools is always difficult, causing disruptions to teaching and learning as well as to families' schedules," district officials said in a statement. "As is typical, the district receives both expressions of concern and of support when such decisions are made. Our experience in the past two days was not different."
Seventy-six of the district's roughly 170 school buildings lack air conditioning but officials close all the schools on hot weather days.
Some city parents said there was a noticeable difference this year now that they get notification on the night before school will be closed. In prior years, school officials would announce closures in the morning because they had to consider factors such as feeding children who rely on school meals and cutting down on out-of-school time.
James Davis, parent of second grader at Medfield Heights Elementary School, said he was grateful for the additional notice he got that his child's school was closing at 11:25 a.m. Friday.
"I do appreciate the fact that they're trying to be proactive," Davis said. "But I'd love for it not to continue."
He said he hopes that school and city officials commit more money to ensuring schools don't have to continue closing, and that students who don't have parents who can pick them up aren't stranded.
Sanora Dutton, who has three students at Medfield, said the earlier notice allowing parents to prepare for closures has made all the difference this year. She also said she'd rather have her children in school for half-days so they won't have to make up the missed days in the summer.
Dutton said parents at Medfield raised money to purchase window units for the school, but she agreed with the school system's decision to close.
"Our kids could have stayed in school the whole day, but all schools are not as fortunate, and we have to think about all the children," she said.
Yvonne Wenger contributed to this report.