It seems the weather forecasters got this one right and we are in for some real heat! It has been a long year of learning at home, our kids are finally back in school, and we want to keep that momentum going if at all possible! 

Like everywhere, our school buildings are going to be warm for the next few days, Some of our schools have central air-conditioning, others have some rooms or designated areas with AC. 

You will see below a memo from DESE about limitations for heat related  half-days due Time on Learning requirements. My initial calculations indicate that if we were to have multiple half days this week we would not meet the Time on Learning hours required by the state and HPS would need to extend our school year into the week of June 20, 2021 – I am hopeful that we will not need to do that!

As of now, the plan for the beginning of the week is to have our kids in school full days and to cool our buildings to the best of our ability, including: 

• For schools  with AC (central and window units) our custodians were  asked to turn the units on before they left on Friday and to let them run all weekend.
• For those buildings/rooms that do not have AC, the custodians will be in this evening to get some cross breeze in the buildings  – it should be mid-sixties tonight.
• The rooms will warm as the days go on, and as the upper floors get warmer our principals will work with teachers to move classrooms to cooler areas of the buildings. 
• We have tents and many schools have created outdoor classroom spaces as well – these will be utilized 

Please send your child with extra water- we will have water on hand as well. Frozen water bottles are welcome as they make great ice packs for cooling sweaty kids. Kids should dress for the weather –  our middle school and high school students should take care that the outfit is both cooling and school appropriate.

Hang in – this will end!

Margaret

Margaret Marotta EdD
Superintendent of Schools 
Haverhill Public Schools
4 Summer St.Haverhill MA 01830
978-374-3405
margaret.marotta@haverhill-ps.org
 

Dear Superintendents and Charter School Leaders,

Commissioner Riley requested that I forward this information on his behalf.

We have been receiving many questions from districts regarding strategies for managing possible “heat days” early next week.  

As a reminder, every year districts and schools are required to create a school calendar with five inclement weather days built in.  In typical years, districts and schools are required to provide a minimum of 180 school days and a minimum of 900 student learning time (SLT) hours at the elementary level and 990 SLT hours at the secondary level. This year, due to training days provided to educators in the fall, districts are required to hold a minimum of 170 school days and a minimum of 850 elementary SLT hours and 935 secondary SLT hours.  

Districts may consider holding half days due to heat, so long as they will still meet the SLT requirement of 850/935 hours. Otherwise, districts should cancel school in the event of a heat day and plan to extend their school year by one day to make up the day and the hours.  

Please note: Districts and schools cannot shift all students to remote learning on these days and have those days and hours count towards a districts’ SLT requirements of 170 days and 850/935 hours.

When school is in session on hot days, we recommend that districts increase learning time outdoors and offer students more frequent mask breaks, if feasible.