AVON LAKE, Ohio — Heat and air quality advisories forced some schools to close Tuesday. Some districts said the conditions were too dangerous for staff and students inside buildings without air conditioning.
In Avon Lake, five of the district’s seven school buildings lack air conditioning and were closed because of the weather.
“It gets real uncomfortable real quick, so I can’t imagine trying to coral 23, 24 kindergartners in a space like this,” said Avon Lake Operations Director Ned Lauver.
He took us inside Eastview Elementary School on Tuesday. The 1950s-era brick building holds up to 400 students on a typical school day.
“Most rooms are really stagnant, especially at this time of today, they’re really cooking,” Lauver said.
Many classrooms feature ceiling fans, and the district provides portable air conditioning units for some staff or students with medical conditions. Lauver said the buildings can be unsafe in extreme heat despite the additional measures.
“Health and safety comes first. And we don’t want to be in a position where we have to cancel school,” he said.
Avon Lake City Schools Superintendent Joelle Magyar added, “That call becomes very crucial when you have building temperatures that can reach over 100 degrees in the hallways, to think about the health and safety of the kids.”
News 5 previously talked to Magyar about her concerns over the condition of the district’s aging facilities and the need for improvements.
Avon Lake voters will see a bond issue and operating levy on the November ballot.
RELATED: Avon Lake City Schools to put bond issue, operating levy on November ballot
The bond issue would pay for a new pre-K-through-5 elementary school, one new K-5 school and a new 6-8 middle school. It would also allow the district to improve the existing Avon Lake High School.
“Air conditioning is one part of that, but more importantly it’s to be able to provide the most updated spaces so we can educate our kids for their future,” Magyar explained.
Shaker Heights voters passed a levy in November to improve the school district’s pre-K through 8th-grade buildings for the next 50 to 100 years.
RELATED: Shaker Heights Schools receive voter approval to renovate buildings
Currently, only one Shaker Heights City Schools building has central air. Air conditioning will be part of the upgrades that begin this fall, but students attended class as usual on Tuesday. In a note to families, the superintendent said the district was cooling classrooms with fans, encouraging students and staff to stay hydrated and limiting some activities.
Dawn Thomas, a parent of several children in a private school in Lorain County, told News 5 she thought the priority should be making adjustments so students could stay in class.
“You’ve got to have a back-up plan,” she said. “You have to have fans, you have to have other solutions. Why can’t you study outside?”
Districts told News 5 they would continue monitoring the heat and conditions inside school buildings. Avon Lake planned to circulate cooler outdoor air overnight and hoped classes would resume on Wednesday.
