Popsicles, water cool kids in red hot schools

With record-high temperatures hitting Utah cities this week, Utah schools -- some without air conditioning -- face an extra challenge to keep their students healthy and cool.

West Jordan Middle School principal Theresa Gotay bought Popsicles for the second day in a row for her students Thursday. On Wednesday, which saw a record-breaking high of 99 degrees in Salt Lake City, Gotay started the day by giving water bottles to students and teachers and giving them tips on how to deal with the heat.

"Yeah, we're warm, but we're still healthy, so let's move on," she said. "The students are much more resilient than we give them credit for."

Mike Kelley, spokesman for Jordan School District, said nine out of 53 elementary schools and nine out of 15 middle schools have no air conditioning. All high schools and all year-round schools have air conditioning, except Alta High School, which has had its system damaged since February.

Students at Alta, a two-story high school with non-operable windows, left two hours early from school Thursday and will do so again today, thanks to Principal Mont Widerberg, Superintendent Barry Newbold and the complaints of quite a few parents and teachers.

Repairs on the air conditioning system are underway, but for now, Widerberg said, teachers are doing their best to help students stay cool. They've brought in fans to move the air in the building, encouraged students to wear loose clothing, passed around spray bottles, allowed water bottles in classes, and relocated classes outside and to cooler buildings.

"There have been a lot of people that have been really good at adjusting and adapting," Widerberg said. "People have been tired and it's tough doing tests, but on the whole, you know, people have been very adapting."

Preparation and common sense can help students survive the heat without too many repercussions.

"On days like this, there are things teachers do, such as take extra water breaks, trips to the drinking fountain," said Jason Olsen, public information officer for the Salt Lake City School District. "There are also fans in the hallways and sometimes classes, and teachers have been trained to watch the kids."

Students in the Salt Lake School District will not finish until June 12, and Olsen said the heat can affect their learning process if it's not properly dealt with, "so teachers are taught to give students extra breaks and get more water."

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