Denver Teachers Find Ways To Cool Classrooms In Record-Breaking Heat

DENVER (CBS4) - Hot weather is contributing to the early dismissal of a school in northeast Denver on the first day of classes. Oakland Elementary School is having power outage issues and closed for the day at 12:45 p.m.

Sixty other Denver Public School buildings do not have air conditioning. Teachers used fans to keep students cool, while other pulled the shades down and even put up some insulation to reflect the sun's rays out of the classroom.

CBS4 found a classroom that still registered 91 degrees on Monday.

"There is a little sluggishness from time to time and attention. Getting their attention is a little more challenging," said Deborah Sims Fard, a second grade teacher.

Officials said the heat is a contributing cause in the power outages.

Temperatures soared into the upper 90s in the Denver metro area on Monday afternoon. Some neighborhoods could reach 100 degrees and record highs for Aug. 19 were broken.

DPS says they're looking into ways to find funding for air conditioners for classrooms. One option could be asking voters to approve a bond in 2020.