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Dear School District of Philadelphia Families,

After this week’s extreme heat in the Philadelphia area, we wanted to update you on our protocol so you are informed and can make the best decisions for your family in the event of another extreme heat incident before the end of the school year.

Exposure to excessive heat can cause heat-related illness. Therefore, when outside temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 85℉ and/or a heat index of 90℉ or higher is projected for one or more days, the School District will begin monitoring the temperature inside each school building to inform actions designed to protect the health and well-being of our students and staff members. We are extra vigilant in the approximately 100 school buildings that currently do not have sufficient air conditioning systems to consistently regulate the temperatures in our instructional spaces. If temperatures in instructional spaces are expected to hit 90℉ or higher, we then determine if a temporary shift to virtual learning or other action is necessary. Our goal going forward is to make that decision only for the schools that do not have sufficient air conditioning systems to keep temperatures below 90℉ (see list below), and to make the decision as early as possible, preferably the day before, to minimize last-minute disruption for our students, families and staff.

In extreme heat and during the summer months, please remember to keep your children hydrated and dressed in light-colored and lightweight clothing, and be sure they wear sunscreen. You can also review this Keeping Kids Safe When Temperatures Soar resource for other helpful tips.

We have been working with urgency over the past five years to install updated air conditioning systems and the extensive electrical systems that support them in our schools. Given the average age of our schools, the extensive scope of work needed and the available capacity and resources, each project could take as much as two years to complete. Since 2018, 82 schools have received central AC systems or full window unit installations. Projects are currently underway in over 40 schools.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate extreme heat conditions while working to provide every school with the updated air conditioning systems it needs to support comfortable teaching and learning environments for students and staff.

Reggie McNeil
Chief Operating Officer

*Schools In Need of Air Conditioning and/or Electrical Systems Upgrades

Allen, Ethan
AMY at James Martin
AMY Northwest (Levering)
Bache-Martin
Blaine, James G
Blankenburg, Rudolph
Bodine, William W
Bridesburg Annex
Brown, Henry A
Bryant, William
Building 21
Carnell, Laura
Catharine, Joseph
Childs, George W @ Barratt
Comegys, Benjamin B
Comly, Watson
Conwell Annex
Cooke, Jay
Crossan, Kennedy C
Day, Anna B
Disston, Hamilton
Dobbins, Murrell
Dobson, James
Dunbar, Paul
Edmonds, Franklin
Ellwood
Emlen, Eleanor
Farrell, Louis H
Fell, D Newlin
Feltonville Head Start
Finletter, Thomas K
Fitler, Edwin H
Fitzpatrick, Aloysius L
Forrest, Edwin
Fox Chase
Frank, Anne
Franklin Learning Center
Franklin, Benjamin Elementary
Franklin, Benjamin High
Furness, Horace
Gideon, Edward
Girard, Stephen
Girls High
Hamilton, Andrew
Harding, Warren
Harrington, Avery
Henry, Charles
Hill-Freedman World Academy
Holme, Thomas
Hopkinson, Francis
Houston, Henry
Howe, Julia
Jenks, Abram
Jenks, John S
Kenderton
Key, Francis
Kirkbride, Elizabeth
Lamberton, Robert
Lingelbach, Anna
Loesche, William
Lowell, James
Ludlow, James
Marshall, John
McCloskey, John
McClure, Alexander
McMichael, Morton
Meade, General George
Mitchell, Weir
Moore, J Hampton
Morris, Robert
Morrison, Andrew
Nebinger, George
Olney Elementary
Olney Elementary Annex
Overbrook Educational Center Annex
Overbrook Elementary
Overbrook High
Parkway West
Patterson, John
Penn Treaty
Pennell, Joseph
Pennypacker, Samuel
Penrose (TB Read)
Pollock, Robert
Powel, Samuel
Pratt
Rhawnhurst
Robeson, Paul
Roosevelt, Theodore
Rowen, William
Roxborough High
Sayre, William
Sharswood, George
Shawmont
Sheppard, Isaac
Sheridan, Philip
SLA @ Beeber
South Philadelphia High
Spring Garden
Spruance, Gilbert
Stanton, EM
Sullivan, James
Taggart, John
Tilden, William
The U School
Wagner, General Louis
Waring, Laura
Washington, George
Washington, Martha
Welsh, John
Wilson, Woodrow
Ziegler, William