By Emily Pugliese
As we welcomed students throughout Philadelphia back to school this week, we were immediately reminded of the work that desperately needs to be done in our school facilities to make them safe and engaging places for students to learn. Just a few hours into the first day of school, families with students in School District of Philadelphia buildings without air conditioning were alerted that there would be half days on Tuesday and Wednesday due excessive heat in the forecast. These 63 schools make up about 28% of the District’s 218 school buildings and educate approximately 33,000 students. Due to the historic disinvestment in the School District of Philadelphia at the state level over the past 20 years, the District says that schools will not be fully equipped with air conditioning until 2027. With average temperatures rising we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of school days over 80 degrees, including estimates in parts of the country like ours that could see three more weeks of school days over 80 degrees in 2025 than they did in 1970.
As the parent of two kids in a District school without air conditioning I can speak to the mayhem these early closures cause. It can be hard to figure out early pickups and manage sibling disputes and (constant) food requests while working, but I’m lucky enough to have a flexible work schedule and understanding coworkers. Many families don’t have that luxury and either scramble to find family and friends to cover childcare or miss a day of work. In the seven years my oldest has been in school, we’ve faced multiple annual closures in both the fall and spring, including every week school has started before Labor Day. Even without closures, students and teachers at our school often talk about how the heat impacts their comfort and learning. Unfortunately, they don’t even escape the heat in the winter, since the heating system is so old that temperature regulation is difficult. In most classrooms in our school, you’ll find the windows open in the middle of January with the radiator on at full blast below it. These antiquated heating systems also mean that there is insufficient ventilation and air filtration in the school. Philadelphia’s childhood asthma rate is double the national average, and poor air quality contributes to high rates of school absence from asthma attacks and contagious illnesses like COVID. These conditions are not unique to my kids’ school, they are unfortunately happening throughout the district.
The District has made strides in recent years to upgrade their large building portfolio. They have pursued Guaranteed Energy Savings (GESA) Programs at multiple schools to upgrade HVAC systems and increase energy efficiency in the buildings (GBU hosted a webinar on the topic that you can watch here). They also recently applied for and received grant funding through the DOE’s Renew America’s School program. In addition, they hope to take advantage of the new Solar for Schools state grant program. Green Building United is supporting the District in their efforts to make schools safer, more energy efficient, and better overall learning environments. There are many groups throughout Philadelphia advocating for these issues. Safe Air for Philly Schools, for example, is asking the District via a sign on letter to install air purifiers that meet the CDC’s minimum standard for clean air delivery in all classrooms that lack adequate ventilation. GBU’s goal is to create a coalition of groups to work together to support the District to provide healthy, safe, and efficient learning environments for all students and teachers. If you are interested in working together towards safer schools for all kids in Philadelphia, please reach out to GBU’s Policy and Program Director, Emily Pugliese, at epugliese@greenbuildingunited.org.