Lowell schools closed due to heat, early dismissals in Worcester, Framingham, Melrose, Mashpee
LOWELL - Due to the extreme heat, some communities in Massachusetts will be closing schools early Thursday. Lowell Public Schools canceled classes entirely Thursday and Friday.
Tracy Lessieur teaches in Lowell and says by Wednesday, classroom temperatures were unbearable.
"A lot of the teachers are good, they have their own air conditioners in the classrooms, but they are not sufficient for the size of the classrooms," Lessieur said. "It's really hot in there and the kids are like 'I am so tired.'"
Like many communities, Lowell has a mix of new and old schools. The city said many buildings do not have air conditioning or the electrical infrastructure to run units in every room.
"We have some schools that are very hot," said Lowell Public Schools Superintendent Liam Skinner. "Classrooms are not only potentially unsafe and unhealthy, but regardless they are not conducive to learning for the next couple of days."
Framingham Public Schools will be closing early on Thursday and all afternoon and evening activities will be canceled, including sports. For a list of what time each school will be letting out and whether they will be serving lunch, click here.
Worcester Public School students will be dismissed three hours early on Thursday and Friday. There will be no half-day preschool on Thursday or Friday either. Breakfast and lunch will be served at all schools. All sports games are canceled Thursday and the district said it's monitoring the conditions for Friday. Student athletes are asked to check with their coach if practice will be held Wednesday night or Thursday morning. For a school's exact time of dismissal, families are asked to call the school or they can check here.
Melrose Public Schools will have an early dismissal at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and there will be no after school activities.
Mashpee Public Schools will also close early Thursday. "We apologize for the childcare challenges this decision presents for some of our families. It is just too hot for productive learning and is unhealthy for our students and staff," the district said on its Facebook page. However, afternoon sports are still on.
Westfield Public Schools dismissed early Wednesday and will do so again on Thursday. High schools will dismiss at 11 a.m., intermediate and middle schools at 11:30 a.m. and elementary schools at 12:15 p.m. The Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center will also be closed on Thursday. The YMCA will hold before school programs Thursday but afternoon programs are canceled. For more information, click here.
Springfield schools let out early Wednesday and will also do so on Thursday. All high schools and alternative schools will get out at 11:05 a.m., all middle schools at 11:35 a.m. and all elementary and Pre-K schools at 12:10 p.m. All after school activities are also canceled. For more information, click here.
For a complete list of school closings and early dismissals, click here.