Protecting Students and Educators from Excessive Heat

For too long, New York's students and teachers have endured dangerous classroom temperatures — some reaching over 100 degrees — that make learning impossible and put health at risk. NYSUT fought back with a sustained advocacy campaign that included collecting stories from thousands of NYSUT members, bringing lawmakers into a portable sauna to experience these conditions firsthand and building overwhelming bipartisan support for change.

We won. In December 2024, Governor Hochul signed historic legislation establishing the first-ever maximum temperature regulations for New York schools. The law takes effect September 1, 2025. Once in effect, schools must take action when temperatures hit 82°F and relocate students and staff when rooms reach 88°F.

This hub contains all the resources, stories, and information you need to understand this landmark victory and how the new law protects our school communities. From the frontline stories that sparked change to practical guidance on implementation, everything you need is here.

Heat Safety in Schools ─ What You Need to Know

Thanks to NYSUT advocacy, a new law will require all public schools and BOCES in New York to take action when classroom temperatures hit 82°F, and to stop using spaces that reach 88°F, when practicable.

Starting September 1, 2025, every district must have a heat safety policy as part of its District-Wide School Safety Plan—keeping students and staff safe during extreme heat events.

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What this law does

This law requires all school districts and BOCES to develop policies protecting students and staff during extreme heat conditions. This is the first law that has ever established maximum temperature regulations for schools. At 82 degrees, schools must implement measures like turning off overhead lights, using fans and closing blinds. At 88 degrees or higher, schools must have plans to relocate students and staff when practicable. This means districts must develop plans to take action during high-heat days, and must show a good-faith effort to enact these plans when needed. The law does not require school closures.

In the coming months, NYSUT will be providing our locals with additional resources to track how districts are responding to high-heat events. The law will take effect on September 1, 2025.

How we got here

The passage of this law is the culmination of a sustained push by NYSUT members across the state to raise awareness of this issue and press our elected officials for change. While we've been working on this issue for many years, this final phase began to take shape during the 2023-24 school year:

• In September 2023, as a heat wave hit at back-to-school time, we visited many hot classrooms across the state and brought along elected officials to experience what students and teachers do.
• That fall, our members contributed thousands of stories about classroom conditions. We assembled those stories into a nearly 80-page report we handed out to lawmakers so they could better understand this issue.
• During the 2024 legislative session, Sen. James Skoufis and Assemblymember Chris Eachus introduced a bill to address hot classrooms.
• In May, we brought a portable sauna tent to the Capitol so lawmakers could experience hot classroom conditions first-hand.
• In June, the bill passed the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support.
• Throughout the spring, summer and fall, we kept the pressure on the governor to sign the bill by continuing to get your stories of conditions in classrooms.

This new law will make a real difference in our schools and is the direct result of our members across the state raising their voices in support of colleagues and students. When we come together, we get good things done.

Excessive Classroom Heat – Firsthand Testimonies

Personal stories of the effects of extreme temperatures in our schools submitted by educators, students and parents from across New York State

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