HARTFORD, Conn. — The sweltering heat forced dozens of schools to close early on Wednesday as meteorologists expect the temperatures to break the low 90s in some parts of the state.
Smith Elementary School in New Britain was one of the many schools across the state that had an early dismissal. Schools were let out at least two hours early.
Dr. Tony Gasper, the superintendent of New Britain Public Schools consulted with a meteorologist and doctor who helped him decide what was the best move.
"I'm responsible for the health and safety of 9,700 kids and 1,600 staff members," said Dr. Gasper.
The City of New Britain has a total of 19 schools. Seven of them have air conditioning throughout the entire building, but the rest only have AC in certain spots.
"It only makes sense when a school gets a full renovation because of how disruptive it is to the building itself and how long it would take. It's not a project that we could do in a short amount of time," added Dr. Gasper.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for more of Connecticut that is expected to last through Thursday night. The so-called “feels-like” temperatures are expected to hit the mid to upper 90s, making it challenging for schools and student-athletes in the afternoon.
In anticipation of the heat, Gov. Ned Lamont activated the state’s extreme hot weather protocol, which allows agencies, municipalities and other partners to coordinate with United Way 2-1-1 to ensure cooling centers are available statewide. That protocol will now stay in effect through Friday evening.
In April, the governor issued 56 million dollars in grants to public schools for air filtration upgrades and it was up to individual districts on how they wanted to use that money.
Fran Rabinowitz, a former superintendent stated for every school to have AC units throughout the entire building, it would cost more than 56 million dollars.
"The cost of air conditioning is exorbitant. For a very small-sized elementary school during the pandemic, it was a million. It's now up to two million," said Rabinowitz.
New Britain parents believed early dismissals are not a long-term solution.
"I don't think it's okay for them to be let out and them take away their education. It is expensive when you're looking for something brand new, but it doesn't hurt to look for something that's use or people who end up volunteering to donate," said Stephanie Pereira of New Britain.
Thursday is expected to be the hottest day of the week with temperatures rising into the mid-90s in most parts of the state. A stray rain shower or storm is possible on Thursday, however, the break in the heat will probably happen Friday and into the weekend.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and X.
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