With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, in-school temperatures are starting to rise. This heat can certainly be an annoyance, especially as it reaches its full intensity near the end of the day. It is common to overhear students complaining about sweltering conditions in classrooms.
In the past several years, however, this seemingly small issue has expanded into a problem that not only students but also teachers are beginning to speak out against, speaking for their education and well-being. This increasing complaint threatens to become an issue of anger and backlash if the school does not commit to improving conditions.
While the heat is certainly apparent in various locations of the school, perhaps the most-affected areas lie in the upper floors of G- and H-buildings. The heat there is appalling. According to social studies teacher Phil Jordan, a teacher who measures the daily temperature and humidity of his classroom, the temperature in upstairs-G consistently remains in the high 80s during the late spring and early summer months. Such readings are just short of being marked for “extreme caution” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The build-up of heat indoors over days only exacerbates the problem. High temperatures can last for hours even without the presence of the sun—even overnight.
As a result, the vast majority of classrooms in upstairs-G and H have at least two fans, purchased by teachers with their own salaries. Still, they ultimately provide little relief and only bring more complications. The loud whirring of the fans often proves to be noisy and distracting to classes. Some of the older built-in “air conditioners” are broken and only churn out lukewarm air. Providing new air conditioners for the school is a decision that would be eagerly supported by both students and staff.
Yet issues like cost deter the district from providing air conditioners. The district has not provided air conditioners for any classroom. Adam Piasecki, president of the Ithaca Teacher’s Association, acknowledged the fact that providing air conditioners to the school, even only one section, would be costly. The district did attempt to provide suitable air conditioning at one point in the 1980s when agreements were made with Cornell University that were regrettably never fully carried out. In exchange for running water pipes over ICSD property to cool its own facilities, Cornell was to install air conditioning in IHS as well. The placement of the pipes proved to be awkward, however, missing a good part of the school, and only K-building and a few other locations ended up receiving such benefits as a result.
Students are quick to protest for better classroom conditions. A common complaint among students in classes that receive large amounts of sunlight is that they feel less focused, less motivated, and crankier from excessive heat, and become less likely to obey directions or participate in activities.
But the people who are the most disadvantaged by the district’s inaction are the teachers. Their job is made more difficult when the work environment in which they must engage their students is, as math teacher Karen Seifert put it, “too damn hot.” More than slightly dissatisfied with the level of service provided, teachers have gone out of their way to help students cool down of their own accord, many urging students to bring water to drink and a few even providing paper fans and Popsicles for classes. During the previous school year, teachers often reserved York Lecture Hall to take advantage of the room’s cooler temperature.
Attitudes towards the situation are irate at best; responses range from teachers bringing in thermometers to measure temperature highs, as Jordan and other teachers have done, to outright blame of the school for “not doing anything for us.”
Health issues are also a rising concern. While problems such as mild dehydration or heat exhaustion can be avoided with enough water, many more serious issues persist. English teacher Lauren Mellander has been pregnant for several months. Despite her condition, she is expected to remain teaching on the second floor under intense heat and humidity, conditions that have been shown to be outright dangerous during pregnancy. Resentment and protest are increasing, and yet little remains accomplished.
For students to learn and teachers to educate, it is crucial that they have access to what all individuals should be provided: positive, encouraging environments that support the attainment of knowledge for everyone. Unfortunately, in this case, it is evident that IHS has failed to do exactly that.
This controversy of heat conditions isn’t just a recent problem; it is one that has been going on for many years and is only now coming to a head. Adam Piasecki said that “this has always been an issue in our schools.” The very fact that students and teachers must endure such conditions reveals a truth: that the school does not have a sufficient grasp on the imminent needs of its staff and students.