School District of Philadelphia announces early dismissal ahead of extreme heat next week
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ahead of the warnings of extreme heat in the Philadelphia area around the first day back to school, the School District of Philadelphia has announced an early dismissal schedule for buildings that don't have proper air condition or cooling.
The upcoming stretch of hot weather is already impacting Philadelphia schools.
The district says schools that don't have air conditioning or have inadequate cooling will dismiss early on Tuesday which is the first day of school. They'll also dismiss early on Wednesday.
Some School District of Philadelphia Schools will have early dismissals next week due to extreme heat conditions. Find more details and the school list here: https://t.co/dKoO2YK4By #PHLED pic.twitter.com/BiNTXgdasr
— Philadelphia Schools (@PHLschools) September 1, 2023
"Student safety is our number one priority, and the District is taking several measures to help maintain healthy and comfortable classroom conditions," said Oz Hill, Chief Operating Officer for the School District of Philadelphia. "The District has invested $285.7 million to improve electrical and HVAC systems in 23 schools, with an emphasis on those serving elementary students. We have installed over 800 window air conditioning units and over 1,400 hydration stations to provide cool, filtered drinking water."
That's a total of 74 schools.
The plan for Thursday and Friday will be announced later next week.