Baltimore Heat Closes Schools Without Air Conditioning

Late summer heat with temperatures rising into the 90s in Baltimore forced officials to close 52 public schools without air conditioning on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some parents told WJZ-TV that children had been complaining about the temperature inside the schools since last week. School officials released students two hours early on Tuesday.

"It's not safe for the kids," said Teri Chason a parent of a child at Carney Elementary school. "The kids come home, they're nearly sick."

The Baltimore Sun said city and county schools started canceling athletic events and practices this week because of the heat as well. Some teachers complained that the heat made it difficult to create a good learning environment for the students.

"We were testing, the new I-ready test and just trying to get the computers to work in the heat and the kids to stay focused and on task it was a lot," Dawn McDonald, a public school third grade teacher, told WBFF-TV.

While Baltimore students struggle with the heat, nearby public schools in Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties all have air conditioning.

Baltimore County executive Kevin Kamenetz released a statement saying officials have been working to resolve the issue, said WJZ-TV.

"We recognize how unbearable the heat has been this past week," said Kamenetz. "In the past five years, we have reduced the number of schools without air conditioning from 52 percent to 20 percent."

Related Stories:

• Baltimore Curfew Cuts Down Violent Rioting; Schools Reopen
  
• 17 Things About the Baltimore Riots the Media Won't Tell You