Heat Makes Classes Optional For Pueblo Schools

Persistent hot weather has become a concern in Pueblo District 60, where officials said half of the school space is not air-conditioned.

“It’s putting some stress on the students and staff,” said district spokesman Greg Sinn. “We’ve got lots of things that we’re doing.”

Alan Berry, the principal of Highland Park Elementary School, said, “We’ve had some kids go home who had headaches from just too much physical exertion outside.”

Sinn said for the remainder of the week, parents may opt to keep their kids at home, and the district will excuse absences. However, Sinn said few students have chosen to stay at home, and steps are being taken to make school as comfortable as possible for the remaining students.

“We get a large portion of free bottled water throughout the year,” said Sinn. “We’ve used that. We’ve purchased water and fans. We’re running the air conditioner 24/7.”

Officials also are opening doors and windows, bringing in bags of ice and moving kids into cooler areas when possible. Some classroom temperatures have topped 90 degrees, officials said.

Recess has not been stopped, but students are advised to stay in the shade. Some students said the heat isn’t too much for them to handle.

“It’s super hot, and I can’t really concentrate,” said fourth-grader Jeromy Bermudz. “It’s OK for me, but I don’t know about other kids in my class.”

Officials said the situation was created by an unusually long heat wave and by school starting a week earlier than in past years. The cooling measures will remain in effect until next week or until the weather changes.