Heat Policy Changes in Baltimore County Public Schools

TOWSON, MD — School board officials in Baltimore County revised their policy mandating the closure of non air-conditioned schools on hot days.

Earlier this month, the school board passed a new measure requiring the county's 37 schools without air-conditioning to close when the heat index was forecast to be at least 90 degrees.

In the first week of the school year, there have been two days when non air-conditioned schools were closed because of the heat—Friday and Monday.

Responding in part to parents who took issue with unpredictability and the infringement on instruction and athletic time, the Baltimore County Board of Education voted Tuesday to add a temporal element to the mandate, closing schools without air-conditioning only if the temperature is to reach 90 degrees on the heat index by 11 a.m., The Baltimore Sun reported.

If temperatures reach 90 degrees on the heat index by 3 p.m., parents may exercise discretion and their children may stay home with an excused absence. The heat indices are provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In Towson on Wednesday, the heat index showed temperatures would to be 86 degrees at 11 a.m. and 92 degrees by 3 p.m., according to NOAA.

• Some Schools Closed Monday Due to Heat: BCPS
• 37 Schools Closed in Baltimore County Friday Due to Heat
• County Executive Spars with State Over AC in Baltimore County Schools

There are 37 schools that lack air-conditioning in Baltimore County. One school board member said there were 27,000 students whose schools lacked this amenity.

Additional days have been built into the school calendar to allow for heat-related closures, according to the board. Superintendent Dallas Dance reportedly said he planned to ask for a state waiver should students in the non air-conditioned schools not meet the Maryland requirement of 180 days of classroom instruction.

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