'Mommy, can I come home? It's just too hot:' Parent, unions and teachers concerned over summer classes
Bobby Hristova | CBC News | Posted: June 22, 2022 5:38 PM | Last Updated: June 22, 2022
Fewer than half of Hamilton public schools have air conditioning
Jay Edington is concerned whenever her four children return home from school and talk about their hot classrooms.
"It's like, 'Mommy, can I come home? It's just too hot … I can't function, I can't learn anything,''" said Edington, who says she'll be running to become a public school board trustee in the fall municipal election.
Hamilton's public health unit said this year doesn't seem particularly hotter than previous years so far. But as summer sets in, the hotter weather is raising concerns about conditions in schools.
Hamilton has had two heat events in the past two weeks.
Daryl Jerome, president of the Hamilton area's local bargaining unit of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, said he's received complaints from educators both this year and in past years about hot classroom conditions .
"What we hear from our members is they go home with heat stroke," he said. "They'll make it through the day and call in sick the next day."
No air conditioning in 56% of HWDSB schools
Shawn McKillop, a spokesperson for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), said 41 of the board's 94 public schools are air conditioned.
"The majority of our schools have newer systems. It is our regular practice to maintain our existing systems and to ensure they are working in optimal conditions," he wrote in an email.
"If there is a concern with the air conditioning, the principal will contact their facilities rep."
The 53 schools with no air conditioning have cooling in one area of the building, like a learning commons, gym, classroom or office.
Pat Daly, chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB), said all schools have central air conditioning, ventilators in classes or window-mounted air conditioners
The public and Catholic board both said it was unclear if heat affected attendance recently.
Parent, local union head want Ontario action
Edington and Jerome said the Ontario government needs to offer more funding to school boards.
Jerome also said there should be labour regulations or legislation that indicates a maximum temperature for safe working conditions.
The Ministry of Education said in a statement to CBC Hamilton it gives school boards funding, but it's up to them to decide how to use the money.
It said roughly $1.4 billion goes to boards each year to fix their schools.
The ministry also pointed to improvements to HVAC systems in schools and portable HEPA units during the pandemic, with both the public and Catholic school boards receiving almost $27 million in provincial funds.
It didn't say when more funding would open up to help school boards buy more air conditioning units.