With temperatures forecast to hover in the triple digits for the next few days, some students at 13 schools in Long Beach will have to brave the heat wave without air conditioning.
Lamar Rotan is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and on his first day of high school the heat has been getting to him.
“I’m getting much more tired than usual and I’m having a hard time paying attention in class, especially in this heat,” Rotan explained.
The student noted that there are several classrooms that have air conditioning but the units do not work and said he hopes they can be repaired as soon as possible.
Rotan added that he has had to carry water to school and wear short-sleeved shirts, two things he is not used to.
According to the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), approximately 84% of its schools have air conditioning, which means that there are 13 schools without this service, which is very important given the high temperatures that are hitting Southern California.
But LBUSD says that for now the schools without air conditioning are in the design or construction phase for air conditioning systems.
“With the accelerated Measure E timeline implemented in 2022, these schools will have air conditioning within the next three years, with the exception of Poly High School, where air conditioning will be completed in 2028 as part of a major, multi-year campus renovation,” an LBUSD spokeswoman said.
The affected schools are: Tucker Elementary, Henry Elementary, Carver Elementary, Los Cerritos Elementary, Gant Elementary, Tincher Preparatory; Stanford Middle, Hoover Middle, Marshall Middle, Washington Middle; and Poly High, Sato High, Millikan High Schools.
Due to the hot conditions that typically occur during the beginning of the school year, LBUSD is implementing new measures to combat the heat in its schools.
Two of the initiatives implemented at all schools in the school district are installing new water fountains and water bottle filling stations and also modifying activities during recess and lunch to ensure that students remain safe and comfortable during high temperatures.
According to LBUSD, indoor spaces will also be available during recess and lunch to provide students with an area to cool off.
Other measures that have been implemented include: all non-air-conditioned classrooms have been equipped with new chilled water dispensers (similar to Arrowhead or Sparkletts water dispensers), window coverings in all non-air-conditioned classrooms have been replaced or repaired to create a barrier between the indoor and outdoor environment, portable fans have been provided in all non-air-conditioned classrooms, and reflective tints have been applied to lobby windows and large window systems in the main offices of some non-air-conditioned schools to help regulate indoor temperatures.
Phoenix Soto is currently a senior at Woodrow Wilson High School where almost every classroom has air conditioning but her first two years of high school were spent at Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science where there is no air conditioning.
During her 10th grade year, Soto says she dreaded walking into her Spanish class because of how hot the classroom was.
“I used to think about how hot it was all the time, but in class at Wilson that thought almost never crosses my mind,” Soto said of her experience.
Soto added that installing air conditioning should be a priority especially as summers become hotter and harsher every year.
Impact on learning
In a paper by Park, Goodman, Hurwitz, and Smith published in the American Economic Review: Economic Policy in 2020 called “Heat and Learning,” they wrote that without air conditioning, every 1°F increase in temperature during the school year reduces the amount of learning that year by one percent.
Their calculations imply that the benefits of air conditioning in schools likely outweigh the costs in much of the United States, particularly given projected future climate change.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a heat warning that will last until Monday, September 9.
According to the NWS, there is a high risk of dangerous heat illness for everyone, especially the young, the elderly, the unfit and those who engage in outdoor activities.
The NWS suggested drinking plenty of fluids, staying in air-conditioned rooms, avoiding the sun and supporting family and neighbors in case of an emergency. They also recommend avoiding exercising at midday when temperatures are highest.
Children, teenagers and pets should also be prevented from being left unattended in vehicles because the interiors of cars can reach lethal temperatures within minutes.
Snow for the heat
After leaving a hot day at school at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, sisters Kayden Hines, who is in the 10th grade, and Kailee Hines, who is in the 9th grade, bought themselves snow cones to cool off.
“I think they should have it [aire acondicionado] “Because Poly is a very popular and well-known high school,” Kailee Hines said.
Some famous Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni include: Cameron Diaz, Jenni Rivera, and Snoop Dogg.
In at least three of their classes, the Hines sisters have moved into air-conditioned rooms.
“It’s very hot here, so we need it because something could happen to one of us because it’s so hot,” Kayden Hines said.
Due to the lack of air conditioning in many of the classrooms, the teens say they have been preparing for the heat by wearing lighter clothing and bringing their own bottled water to stay hydrated.
Kayden added that like other students, she has a hard time paying attention when it’s hot and gets angry when the heat increases, leaving her with no desire to do anything.
In a statement from LBUSD, the district explained that during extreme weather conditions, it will only close schools or modify instructional schedules if directed to do so by county or state officials.