Boston Public Schools students return to class in blazing September heat

BOSTON — Boston Public Schools students head back to the classrooms after Mayor Michelle Wu declared a two-day heat emergency.

Boston Public Schools opened on one of the hottest days all summer and Mayor Wu and School Superintendent Mary Skipper greeted the students outside the buildings as they handed out school supplies.

Superintendent Skipper even gave some buildings air conditioning units but says there are still about a dozen buildings with no air.

“Ensuring fans in those sites don’t have A/C. Make sure the room temperatures are as cool as possible,” said Skipper.

Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang says she has been working closely with the district to close the gap on rooms with no A/C.

“The good news is the vast majorities of the schools we visited to have the a/cs in place and they are so relieved. It makes such a difference. The heat is no longer a distraction and they are able to focus on their learning,” said Tang.

Last year on Boston’s first day of school, the superintendent was not in place and the MBTA’s Orange Line was shut down for repairs. Mayor Wu says this year is off to a stronger start.

“Everything has been months, almost a full year in the planning, to make sure we had the best possible start to this year. I think we are going to feel it with the great results,” said Wu.

In a one-on-one interview later in the day, Superintendent Skipper said they did extensive amount of re-building this year especially with communication between her office and each school.

“We are at a stage now, a foundation, where we feel good about many of our systems, our hiring and transportation, our food, our kitchens, a lot of the operational sides and now we can really focus on our academics,” said Skipper.

The superintendent also says because Mayor Wu declared a heat emergency, more cooling locations will be open across the city.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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