A/C in the schools

[wvhsparent]

gatordog said:

bob said:

My spouse would vote for a AC referendum.

Divided house!!!!!

Is this an extension of a common (at least at my house) spousal "dispute" ....who gets control of the thermostat at home?!? ;D

I took care of that long ago ...got one of those locky case thingys over the thermostat. Or else the boy would have the AC at 65 and the wife would have the heat in the winter to 78.

[EagleDad]

You're such the "enforcer" wvhsparent

I think I'm in a divided house on the referendum thing also (afraid to ask ).

I tend to crank the air in the summer myself at home. I still can't back spending 20 million on a few days a year in the grand scheme of things.

[movingforward]

eagledad said:

You're such the "enforcer" wvhsparent

I think I'm in a divided house on the referendum thing also (afraid to ask ).

I tend to crank the air in the summer myself at home. I still can't back spending 20 million on a few days a year in the grand scheme of things.

IMO, It is not a debate that one can truely understand unless you sit in a classroom for an hour , let alone 6!

I really didn't have a opinion either way on this topic until I went to Cirriculum Night last night and could not believe how unbearable it was in the school at NIGHT! Imagine it in the daytime!

It may only be a handful ( I personally believe much more than a handful of days are uncomfortable due to heat) of days that some claim are affected by this heat, but these days are not nearly as productive as they could be for our children if they had A/C.

Without a doubt in MY mind, productivity and learning are decreased when children and teachers have to sit in this humidity and heat and hear the roar of loud fans. Not to mention the effect on those with health conditions as previously mentioned by other posters.

I am behind whatever referendum that would help our kids and teachers have more productive and healthy days by installing A/C.

[southsidemom]

eagledad said:

You're such the "enforcer" wvhsparent

I think I'm in a divided house on the referendum thing also (afraid to ask ).

I tend to crank the air in the summer myself at home. I still can't back spending 20 million on a few days a year in the grand scheme of things.

Middle and high schools have air, so ultimately we need to get it in our elementary schools as well. Spend now, spend later.....bottom line is that it needs to be done and will cost one way or the other. Many parents were complaining during the presentation in the gym during curriculum night. Even some teachers made light weight jokes centered around the lack of air conditioning.

[gatormom]

southsidemom said:

Middle and high schools have air, so ultimately we need to get it in our elementary schools as well. Spend now, spend later.....bottom line is that it needs to be done and will cost one way or the other. Many parents were complaining during the presentation in the gym during curriculum night. Even some teachers made light weight jokes centered around the lack of air conditioning.

It does not ultimately have to be done. The voters can say no. If there is no money, it will not be done. You can say it is necessary and ultimately it will happen but unless a referendum is passed, it will not happen.

While I support A/C in the ES, I live in a divided house like bob. Me yes, hubby no. We do have a tiebreaker but he is in college. His vote just may depend on which one of us gets to him first.

[jimbob]

Here's a no cost option:

Go to school the day before thanksgiving, go to school during winter break except for 12/24-12/26, 1/1, No BAD day, No spring break. School could start in mid-sept and thus no heat problem.

Savings $15 million and no electricity cost.

[EagleDad]

The current 10-day forecast for Naperville/Aurora has no school day with high's above 72 degrees.

As bob has pointed out the average number of days in September and May over 90 degrees over the past 30 years is 1.5 (statistically speaking that would be 1.5*5/7 or 1.07 school days).

Here's another no-cost option. Leave things as is. Have a few uncomfortably warm days a year and do the best to get by.

Savings $22 million (15MM was the cost in '01) and no electricity cost.

[wvhsparent]

I kinda like the idea of starting after Labor day......

I'll vote for AC when they choose year-round school.

[Arch]

At the very least they need to spend some money to kill off things growing in the more humid conditions that exist in the non environment-controlled buildings. When the carpets smell like musty wet dog, you know there's stuff growing in there and you know it's airborne.

[doctorwho]

gatormom said:

southsidemom said:

Middle and high schools have air, so ultimately we need to get it in our elementary schools as well. Spend now, spend later.....bottom line is that it needs to be done and will cost one way or the other. Many parents were complaining during the presentation in the gym during curriculum night. Even some teachers made light weight jokes centered around the lack of air conditioning.

It does not ultimately have to be done. The voters can say no. If there is no money, it will not be done. You can say it is necessary and ultimately it will happen but unless a referendum is passed, it will not happen.

While I support A/C in the ES, I live in a divided house like bob. Me yes, hubby no. We do have a tiebreaker but he is in college. His vote just may depend on which one of us gets to him first.

Similar situation here - I am a yes, my wife is leaning No, and my 22 year old daughter who went to Watts/Hill / WV said she would likely vote no at $22M - which surprised me ( and she will be a teacher by next fall )

[smartypants]

Need? Possibly. Want? Definitely.

How to get people to pay? Where to get the money?

I know a place where maybe they can save enough money to a/c all the schools.

They might save some money by not having the a/c on full blast in the schools that have it. That goes for the heat too. How many of you who have kids that go to an a/c school, like a middle or high school observe what your kids wear. My daughter wears winter clothes to school in August, September, and May. She wears tank tops in the winter.

Now I was sarcastic earier on. I know that it wouldn't be possible to save all the money needed for a/c for the remaining schools by turning it down (up?) in the other schools, but when the schools have a/c they shouldn't have it be so cold that kids are rubbing their hands together to stay warm and they shouldn't be heating so warm that you could have a luau in the classroom in February either.

BTW I know for a fact that some teachers have had rooms so hot in the winter that they open the windows. They have no control over the heat in their individual rooms. I've heard about it from my kids and I've witnessed it first hand.

Want voter confidence? They should use their resources wisely.

[warriorpride]

smartypants said:

Need? Possibly. Want? Definitely.

How to get people to pay? Where to get the money?

I know a place where maybe they can save enough money to a/c all the schools.

They might save some money by not having the a/c on full blast in the schools that have it. That goes for the heat too. How many of you who have kids that go to an a/c school, like a middle or high school observe what your kids wear. My daughter wears winter clothes to school in August, September, and May. She wears tank tops in the winter.

Now I was sarcastic earier on. I know that it wouldn't be possible to save all the money needed for a/c for the remaining schools by turning it down (up?) in the other schools, but when the schools have a/c they shouldn't have it be so cold that kids are rubbing their hands together to stay warm and they shouldn't be heating so warm that you could have a luau in the classroom in February either.

BTW I know for a fact that some teachers have had rooms so hot in the winter that they open the windows. They have no control over the heat in their individual rooms. I've heard about it from my kids and I've witnessed it first hand.

Want voter confidence? They should use their resources wisely.

I agree with the heating/air situation that you state, at least at Granger.

[slt]

www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/valleyviews/558199,2_5_AU16_VVTATAR_S1.article

School temps more than a question of comfort

September 16, 2007

As the weather gets cooler, the air conditioning controversy in the Indian Prairie School District continues to heat up.

Except for elementary schools, I don't know of a single building built in this area in the last 20 years that does not have air conditioning.

The fact that our high schools, middle schools, two most recent elementary schools and administrative offices are all air conditioned demonstrates an awareness that students and adults work best with good air quality and controlled temperature and humidity.

The Oswego School District used Indian Prairie's building plans for its newest elementary schools -- which have air conditioning.

Today's buildings are not built to be without air conditioning. They are unbearably hot and humid even when the temperature outside is mild. Even animal shelters and jails have air conditioning. Some states have laws that animals cannot be kept indoors at temperatures greater than 90 degrees, yet thousands of our children are put in this situation for too many hours and too many days each school year. I was surprised to find out this impact is for weeks each school year, rather than just the few really hot days.

The bottom line is that for about $1 per week per household we could retrofit the remaining 19 elementary buildings. This is a relatively small amount for most families. Several families have even offered to donate much more than this in an effort to supply much-needed relief to those in our classrooms.

The district has everything to gain by providing relief from heat and humidity in these buildings.

The hot weeks would be spent on learning rather than surviving the heat, and children would not be forced to suffer illnesses related to heat and poor indoor air quality, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, headaches, stomach illnesses, asthma flare-ups, allergies and seizures. Children's smaller bodies are more prone to heat illness than older children and adults because they have more body surface area per pound of weight.

Dozens of district children were sent home ill during the first two weeks of school due to these poor conditions at school, and some needed medical treatment.

Approximately one in 13 school-aged children have asthma, and according to the EPA, asthma is the No. 1 cause for absenteeism. This means it's likely that almost 1,000 students in these 19 schools have asthma. Though not all are affected by heat, humidity and allergens, we should still strive to provide the best environment we can within reason.

Children with both learning and physical disabilities may have even more difficulty in a hot and humid classroom that has several fans running. This severely impacts those with hearing loss.

Meanwhile, the administration is in the process of gathering costs for a variety of options.

These include air conditioning all or parts of buildings or shifting the school calendar or hours, and working on putting a plan in place for dealing with heat emergencies.

While the district administrators gather the information needed to make a decision about what the best solution is, this is the time to educate the public on the issues surrounding this need.

We are losing instruction time for all children in our schools due to air temperature and quality issues, and many children are losing even more due to illnesses or special needs. The public will need all the facts and data in order to make an informed decision if this issue appears on the ballot in February.

The district may sponsor a survey to determine whether or not the public is supportive of such a referendum.

I might have said no a month ago, but now that I'm armed with facts I am among the biggest advocates for retrofitting our schools with air conditioning.

I appreciate that the board and administration recognize that this is more than a mere question of comfort and will further investigate the issue of providing air conditioning for our elementary schools.

[EagleDad]

Well written article, I'm still not totally won over. There are statements made throughout this debate that I wonder if they are possibly over stated, such as:

"...children would not be forced to suffer illnesses related to heat and poor indoor air quality, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke..."
- Do we really have kids coming down with heat stroke? That if true changes my mind as it is really dangerous. How many verified cases of heat stroke did we have this year? And yes, I would need a medical diagnosis of heat stroke, not a parent's categorization of it. This ought to be readily trackable as someone darn well should be calling 911 for heat stroke (body temps over 104), it is immediately life threatening. These would be great facts to back the story for people like me. If it's happening it adds true credence to the need. If it's not - don't bring it up as some skeptics like me will see it as a scare tactic.

"Children's smaller bodies are more prone to heat illness than older children and adults because they have more body surface area per pound of weight."
- That doesn't entirely make sense to me as I thought the skin was a used as a cooling device by the body through perspiration and evaporation, like a heat-sink or a radiator. If the have a bigger one proportionally, why the cooling problem?

"asthma is the No. 1 cause for absenteeism"
- as has been shown this is mis-quoted. It is the #1 cause of absenteeism among chronic childhood diseases. Getting things like this wrong undermines, or makes me question other "facts" presented in the arguments.

Hopefully, my observations can be used by those making the case to refine it more, and this is my intent on providing them, not to be argumentative.

[doctorwho]

eagledad said:

Well written article, I'm still not totally won over. There are statements made throughout this debate that I wonder if they are possibly over stated, such as:

"...children would not be forced to suffer illnesses related to heat and poor indoor air quality, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke..."
- Do we really have kids coming down with heat stroke? That if true changes my mind as it is really dangerous. How many verified cases of heat stroke did we have this year? And yes, I would need a medical diagnosis of heat stroke, not a parent's categorization of it. This ought to be readily trackable as someone darn well should be calling 911 for heat stroke (body temps over 104), it is immediately life threatening. These would be great facts to back the story for people like me. If it's happening it adds true credence to the need. If it's not - don't bring it up as some skeptics like me will see it as a scare tactic.

"Children's smaller bodies are more prone to heat illness than older children and adults because they have more body surface area per pound of weight."
- That doesn't entirely make sense to me as I thought the skin was a used as a cooling device by the body through perspiration and evaporation, like a heat-sink or a radiator. If the have a bigger one proportionally, why the cooling problem?

"asthma is the No. 1 cause for absenteeism"
- as has been shown this is mis-quoted. It is the #1 cause of absenteeism among chronic childhood diseases. Getting things like this wrong undermines, or makes me question other "facts" presented in the arguments.

Hopefully, my observations can be used by those making the case to refine it more, and this is my intent on providing them, not to be argumentative.

If you watch the SB meeting replay again, you will see that the comments on heat stroke and the other maladies come from not just a parent - but a noted local cardiologoist whose husband is a local pediatrician. These are not overstating parents with no medical knowledge. I have to fo back but I also beleive she included the 50 kids from one school fact --

her testimony helped get my attention. I am not saying someone in her role cannot overstate- but to be as passionate as she appeared to be - and being at a local hospital where they would see any end result - certainly made me think harder. If truly other facts were incorrect - I don't think she be on the bandwagon.

As for sweating less- have read this numerous places most recently in American Fitness.

" Young athletes who engage in competitive, nonstop physical activity lasting more than 30 to 40 minutes risk becoming overheated, more than adults who exercise at the same rate for a similar amount of time. Compared to adults, children produce more body heat at a given running speed, sweat less (each sweat gland produces about 40% less sweat than an adult sweat gland), and gain heat faster from the environment (because children have a greater body surface area in respect to their body weight). This means children should drink frequently."