DENVER (KDVR) — The school year has just begun, and Denver Public Schools campuses are already seeing impacts from the weather.
Some 17 Denver Public Schools campuses will end classes early on Wednesday, the district announced. Most of the schools are some of the dozens in the district without air conditioning:
- Skinner Middle
- Park Hill Elementary
- McMeen Elementary
- Whittier Elementary
- Polaris Elementary
- Carson Elementary
- Godsman Elementary
- Bryant-Webster Elementary
- Columbine Elementary
- Stedman Elementary
- Asbury Elementary
- Bradley Elementary
- Lincoln Elementary
- Brown Elementary
- Knapp Elementary
- University Park
- Edison Elementary
The disruption is the second so far this school year, which just started on Monday for Denver Public Schools. The return to classes coincided with a heat wave in the Denver metro area, which has already seen record-breaking high temperatures this week.
Classes ended early for 14 campuses on Tuesday because of the heat.
Denver Public Schools had identified 55 campuses without air conditioning, and 24 have either gotten or are slated to get it through a voter-approved, $795 million bond measure for building and maintaining schools district-wide.
Still, when those 24 campuses get upgrades by the end of next year, another 31 will still lack air conditioning. The district said those 31 schools will be prioritized for cooling upgrades when funding is available.
The district decided which schools got priority after ranking them according to a temperature study. The ranking is based on a formula that includes an equity index, based on factors like levels of poverty, special education needs and English learners, and it’s combined with other factors like temperature and building use.
