The first week of classes for Denver Public Schools has gotten off to a hot start, but one that could impact academic performance for the students in more than 40 schools that still don’t have air conditioning.
Record August heat forced the district to release students early this week as classes resumed for the 2023-2024 school year. Students at 14 schools went home around lunch time on Tuesday, and 17 principals announced early closures for Wednesday.
The high temperature on Tuesday was 96 and the high for Wednesday is expected to reach 94 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder. Monday’s high of 99 degrees was a record for Aug. 21 for Denver.
For years, DPS has been chipping away at a long list of schools without cooling, and it added air conditioning to 11 schools over the summer.
The money to add air conditioning to the 11 schools came from a bond issue passed by Denver voters in 2020. The bond money will also pay for 13 more schools to get air conditioning over the next year. That will leave 31 DPS schools without cooling, according to the district.
Denver frequently sees temperatures in the 90s in August and even September. Last year, more than 30 DPS schools called “heat days” during a streak of hot weather in September. The schools either canceled classes altogether or sent students home early.
The district has taken other steps to try to prevent students from becoming overheated, lethargic and even sick in class due to high temperatures. In 2021, the school board voted to push back the first day of school by a week — a schedule DPS maintains today.
Parents whose children attend the 17 schools should have received notice of the early release on Tuesday night. The Denver Public Schools website did not provide release times. The 17 schools listed for early closure on Wednesday are:
Skinner Middle
Park Hill Elementary
McMeen Elementary
Whittier Elementary
Polaris Elementary
Carson Elementary
Godsman Elementary
Bryant Webster Elementary
Columbine Elementary
Stedman Elementary
Asbury Elementary
Bradley Elementary
Lincoln Elementary
Brown Elementary
Knapp Elementary
University Park
Edison Elementary
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