No air conditioning in some London schools sparks concerns among parents

As if getting kids to sit still and focus during the last week of school wasn't difficult enough, teachers at many of the region's elementary schools are dealing with a problem parents call unacceptable and dangerous: no air conditioning in classrooms as the intense heat in the region continues. 

Temperatures soared as high as 43 C with humidex values on Monday, forcing the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) to cancel all outdoor activities and field trips in the last few school days before summer break. 

"There's many people that have health problems and this potentially is putting my child, other children and staff members at risk," said Andrew Roberts, whose son Parker was having trouble breathing and had to leave early from his Grade 6 class at Aberdeen Public School, where there's no AC.   

Many other parents took their kids out of school for the day, Roberts said, questioning why school buildings remained open without effective cooling mechanisms. To add insult to injury, Aberdeen was selling freezies for $2, instead of simply giving them out as a way to help keep kids cool.  

Meanwhile, well-meaning teachers who brought fans from home to help with the oppressive temperatures in classrooms were told they must be approved by facility staff as per the "ventilation and filtration protocol," according to a memo sent to staff. 

"I realize it's an aging building and I know we've done upgrades to it, but we haven't done enough to keep our children and employees safe. I feel that the school board is neglecting to do this," Roberts said. 

The board sent notices to parents informing them of thesituation in schools and measures they will take to help students keep comfortable. Schools typically don't close during heat waves because it can be challenging for families to find last minute child care, officials said. 

Temperatures in Parker's classroom were near 37 C, his dad said. In the absence of air conditioning throughout the building, Roberts wants schools to have at least one room with an AC that can be used as a cooling space, similar to ones the city operates for unhoused Londoners.

"A portable air conditioner is maybe $300 to $400, you can wheel those around and cool off different classrooms if needed. Why has this not been implemented?" Roberts asked. He said he has contacted his MPP to raise the issue of poor cooling systems within the school board.  

The majority of schools have mechanical ventilation through motor-driven fans. Seven schools, which are relatively newer, use a combination of mechanical and passive ventilation, which diffuses air through doors, windows and other openings, assisted by exhaust fans.

James Pinnell almost bought an air conditioner for his son's Grade 4 class at Trafalgar Public School, but said he didn't because it would only fix one classroom and wouldn't be fair to other students.

"I know it's the last week of school, the rest of the year hasn't been too bad but to have a school with no AC in this time is not safe," said Pinnell. "[My son] has fans we bought him for his desk but it's still not enough. Either way, if you're outside or inside, it's too hot."

Schools, students get 'creative' to stay cool

Some students CBC News spoke to said it was unbearable to power through the day without any air conditioning. Many got crafty — Oda Sturgeon and his classmates made paper fans to keep cool. 

"I had to dump my water bottle out, then fill it up again and I kept doing that 10 times. I had to go outside twice for recess, it was pretty hot," said Sturgeon, who also attends Trafalgar Public School. 

"[It's] very hot, we only have two fans in our classroom and they help a little," said Nyla D'Souza-Taylor, a Grade 4 student. "I didn't go outside for recess so we just took it easy today."

At Old North Public School, staff are handing out popsicles and frozen yogurt to students while ensuring students can still enjoy fresh air, said principal Jennifer Dawson.

"We're being really creative," she said. "Instead of going outside for recess today, we encouraged our staff to take kids out for 10 minutes to sit under the trees where there was a bit of a breeze"

The school has air conditioning in some offices for the first time this year, and expects to have ACs installed in the entire century-old building by September, said Dawson. She added the school had its graduation on Monday with shorter speeches and multiple fans running.

"Our building first opened as a school in 1916 so it's taking quite a bit of work to get the air conditioning running but next June should be much more comfortable," she said.  

London District Catholic School Board said it installed air conditioning in all school classrooms last fall. The board has also cancelled all outdoor field trips and activities for Monday and Tuesday, with indoor trips and short visits to splash pads expected to continue.