Schools Close Early Due To June Hot Spell

Candace Braun

All schools in the Princeton school district are having an early dismissal of 1 p.m. this week due to the unusually warm June weather.

"We saw the forecast... It was going to be hot," said Board President Anne Burns, when asked why the district made the decision last week to close early during the last week of school.

She added that in other years the district has made a last-minute decision in the morning to close early that same day, which has proven to be more difficult for parents needing to make after school arrangements for their children.

"It has been very unhelpful to families," she said.

While Princeton High School has early dismissal all week due to exams and graduation on Thursday, the other schools were scheduled to have full days. Temperatures have been rising above 90 degrees, which has been more than uncomfortable for both students and staff, said Ms. Burns.

"It is certainly my hope that this enables all students to have healthy and productive last days in the 2004-2005 school year," said Superintendent Judy Wilson in a letter that went out to parents last Friday.

The letter explained that classrooms have gotten much too hot during the afternoons, and haven't been cooling off by the time students return the next morning.

Currently none of the six schools in the district has air conditioning throughout the building, although PHS will have it once construction is completed there, said Ms. Burns. Community Park Elementary has air conditioning on the second floor, and John Witherspoon Middle School has installed air conditioning in its new sound-proof music wing because there are no windows in the rooms.

However the rest of JW is a "hot spot," said Ms. Burns, particularly the new "E Wing." In the original construction and renovation plans, the district had intended to install air conditioning at the middle school, until estimates said installation would cost $4 million.

"That's more than it cost to build the pool... It was $4 million that we quite frankly didn't have," said the Board president.

This summer the district will be installing oscillating fans in the middle school's E-wing to help alleviate the heat, said Ms. Burns: "It's not air conditioning, but it will certainly help."