High temperatures and little A/C: Some parents concerned about children’s wellbeing amid heat wave

Over the last two days, some students in London, Ont. have been dealing with hot and humid conditions both inside and outside the classroom.

With the sweltering heat, some parents are concerned for their children’s health as some schools in the area do not have air conditioning.

“My son has asthma and yesterday he actually got sent home because within minutes of being outside, he went into coughing fits and couldn’t get it in control,” said Tiffany Loyer, whose 10-year-old son’s health conditions make it even more difficult to withstand the heat.

“The school is only part A/C controlled. Not every classroom has it so some of them get really hot and the kids get very irritable,” she added.

As of Wednesday, 53 per cent of schools within the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) are fully air-conditioned.

According to the TVDSB, the rest of the schools are managed by cancelling outside activities when temperatures are above 36C.

87 per cent of schools have some areas of the school air conditioned.

The board says it follows recommendations from the public health unit on how to avoid heat-related illnesses for staff and students.

With the heat warning in effect, the mother of three was surprised to hear some students at the school have had to be outside for an extended period of time.

“Our school will keep them in at some breaks but will send them out other times in the heat. Like today for their grad rehearsal they walked from their school to the high school which was about a 25-minute walk,” Loyer said.

Fortunately, the sweltering heat won’t last for much longer as slightly cooler temperatures are expected on Thursday.