TAKE ACTION: Classrooms Are Heating Up!

Temps are spiking, and educators, parents and students are calling for Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the classroom heat bill into law!

As the school year begins, classrooms continue to be hot and muggy in many parts of the state, prompting teachers and parents alike to ask how children can be expected to learn — let alone function — in these inhumane conditions.

Temperatures above 90 degrees have been reported, and New York still hasn’t done anything about regulating classroom temperatures for overheating!

“My classroom of 3- and 4-year-olds opened this year under a heat wave. The temps started at 83 at 7:30 am and soared to 94 by 1:30 in the afternoon. My kids were crying for their mamas because they were so overheated. There has to be a legal claim that this is inhumane and child abuse.”

“On the first day of school my classroom was over 90 degrees. One of my students asked to get a drink of water, stood up, and then passed out cold. He completely dropped to the floor.”

“The temperatures in the classrooms have to be over 90 degrees. Several students at the high school passed out due to heat exhaustion and had to be taken away by ambulance.”

These are just some of the stories we’ve heard from educators.

Please tell us YOUR classroom temperature story.

You can use the form below to write your story or upload a video.

WRITE YOUR STORY

Tell us about the heat in your classroom.

Your feedback helps in our ongoing efforts to address overheated workspaces and learning environments.

RECORD YOUR STORY

You can also click here to upload a 10-15 second clip showing what your overheating classroom looks like.

Get the facts and take action against extreme classroom temperatures.

It's that time of year, and once again, classroom temperatures are rising!

When classrooms are too hot, students can't learn and teachers can't teach.

Extreme temperature isn’t just an inconvenience, it has a direct impact on student performance. Overheated schools also waste energy and cost school districts money.

Researchers found:

• Taking an exam on a 90-degree day results in lower test scores, a 12.3 percent higher likelihood of failing a subject, and a 2.5 percent lower likelihood of graduating on-time.
• Brain electrical activity of individuals who were under thermal stress and found heat interrupted their cognitive functioning, specifically working memory, information retention and information processing.

Further studies indicate that lower classroom temperatures and improved air ventilation improve learning ability and student performance by as much as 10 to 20 percent.

• Math test scores increased an average of 3.2% with improved classroom ventilation.
• Math test scores rose another 2.8% when temperatures fell from a high of 78 degrees to a low of 67 degrees.

MORE WAYS TO TAKE ACTION!

DOWNLOAD THE TEMPERATURE LOG AND POSTER.

These are your tools to let your school, your district and your union know what’s going on in your classroom.