7030(a) - Extreme Heat Condition Days

As required by Education Law § 409-n, the Board of Education adopts this policy to address the health and safety of students and employees on extreme heat conditions. For the purpose of this section, extreme heat condition days shall be defined as days when the occupiable educational and support services spaces are found to be eighty-two degrees or greater Fahrenheit. For the purpose of this section, support services spaces shall not include kitchen areas used in the preparation of food for consumption by students.

The District will develop and communicate a comprehensive heat alleviation plan with early dismissal protocols for each school building to families and staff.

Because the District's thermostats are mounted in different locations within each classroom and are connected to the District's centralized HVAC system, they may not accurately reflect the temperature at the center of the room. Therefore, the District will also make thermometers available to staff upon request through their head custodian so that room temperatures can be measured at the center of the room, as required by law.

Actions to Be Taken at Eighty-Two Degrees

When the temperature in an occupiable educational or support services space reaches eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit, the District will take actions to relieve heat-related discomfort (consistent with fire and building codes), including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Turning off overhead lights;
2. Lowering shades or blinds;
3. Turning on fans;
4. Opening classroom windows to increase air circulation;
5. Providing water breaks; and
6. Rotating students to air-conditioned locations.

Actions to Be Taken at Eighty-Five Degrees

When the temperature in an occupiable educational or support services space reaches eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, students and staff will be removed from the space, when practicable. The Superintendent will direct Building Principals to implement one or more of the following actions:

1. Move students and staff to cooler locations; or
2. Close school early and dismiss students and staff in accordance with the District's early dismissal protocols.

On days when the outside temperature is expected to be high enough that occupiable educational and support services spaces are likely to reach eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, even after heat mitigation measures have been implemented, the District may conduct classes remotely (in accordance with the Remote Instruction Plan), dismiss students early, or close schools entirely (in accordance with applicable minimum instructional time requirements).

The Superintendent is authorized to make this determination. Remote instruction may
be implemented district-wide, at an individual school, or for specific groups of students and staff affected by extreme heat conditions.

Adopted by Board of Education: September 2, 2026