BY ZACH WILLIAMS | One local elected representative wants to make it a bit cooler to attend school in the hot summer months.
A resolution before the City Council seeks to put heat on the state Legislature to make air conditioning a required amenity in public schools. Temperatures as high as 103 degrees lead to canceled programs and lots of sweaty students at East Village and Lower East Side schools, according to Councilmember Margaret Chin, who sponsored the resolution.
“We’ve been hearing from parents and teachers about the indoor conditions, especially during the summer months, and it’s really commonsense,” she said. “We want to make sure that our children have the best conditions to study.”
Temperatures within the MS 131 gym surpassed 100 degrees on several occasions this summer. Air conditioners function in about half of the classrooms at New Design High School, while at Pace High School a cooling unit blew hot air instead, according to Chin.
Thermal controls within schools are an important element in student success, according to a 2002 Virginia Tech study cited within the resolution. The effects of overheated classrooms on lower-income and minority students are more pronounced, the report notes.
Citing previous research, the study concludes that reading speed and comprehension decrease between 74.4 and 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
“After the socioeconomic status of the students, the most influential building condition variable that influenced student achievement was air conditioning,” states the study.
The City Council resolution recommends that the Legislature set indoor climate goals between 68 to 75 degrees in winter and 73 to 79 degrees in summer, when schools or summer sessions are in operation.
A survey of schools in Manhattan Community School Districts 1 and 2 found that, of the 26 schools that responded, 19 percent lack adequate heating while half did not have air conditioning, according to the resolution.
“All of us when put into that situation — where it’s really hot, the teachers try to pull down the shade, try to turn on fans,” said Chin, who is a former teacher. “It’s not a comfortable situation.”
