FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The heat has caused some major disruptions for schools heading back this August.
Most students in the Poudre School District are being dismissed two hours early between August 18-22 due to high temperatures and a lack of air conditioning at several of its schools.
PSD’s standard protocol is to implement 2-hour early releases or even full-day closures due to extreme heat of more than 90 degrees for three consecutive days or when the forecasted high is 95 degrees or higher.
- Check out the latest forecast from our Denver7 weather team below:
“These protocols are in place to ensure consistency, but every decision is also weighed carefully with the impact on students, staff, and families in mind," said a district spokesperson in a statement. "We hear the frustration these changes cause and want to stress that they are never made lightly."
Below are the schools the district says will operate on early release for the entire week:
- All elementary schools except the Mountain schools
- All middle schools
- Centennial High School
- Polaris Expeditionary Learning School
- Poudre Community Academy
These are the schools that will operate on a normal schedule:
- Fort Collins High School
- Fossil Ridge High School
- Poudre High School
- Rocky Mountain High School
- Timnath Middle High School
- Wellington Middle High School
- PSD Global Academy
- PSD transition programs
- All Mountain schools
Parents started lining up for early dismissal around noon on Monday at Bacon Elementary, one of the schools affected by the early release day.
“Yeah, we had to move our schedule around a little bit,” parent Chris Jones told Denver7.
According to PSD, 32 of its schools don't have air conditioning.
“[Early release] is challenging being a working parent, but I understand that as schools get hot,” said parent Brianna Kreager.
While Bacon Elementary isn't one of the schools without A/C, measures like early dismissal are needed during stretches of extreme heat to maintain consistency across the district, according to a PSD spokesperson.
“I remember last year there was a lot of talk of A/C issues in school, and I think that's what a lot of this is related to,” said Jones.
Swamp coolers are being used to bring some relief to the schools without A/C, but it's not always enough.
“[Swamp coolers are] probably just enough to make it survivable, but not necessarily easy to concentrate,” said parent Katie Parker.
Denver7 took those concerns to the Poudre School District and asked for an update on the status of schools without air conditioning.
“Thanks to the 2024 mill levy override approved by voters, PSD now has dedicated funding to install A/C in those schools," said a district spokesperson. "Work was completed at Beattie and O’Dea Elementary this summer to add A/C. Retrofitting older buildings and completing projects during the limited summer construction window means it will take several years to finish districtwide. An update on this process will be presented at a Board of Education meeting in September."
Denver7 also reached out to the Colorado Department of Education, which said it does not set guidelines on when school districts should start the calendar year. Most districts opt to start in August so they can end the year earlier.
“I think it would be wonderful if we could get A/C for everybody moving forward, at least next year, cause it is very challenging," Kreager said. "It's tricky to start off school that way, too."
The three parents told Denver7 they’re looking forward to a cooler future.
“I know it will take a while for all the buildings to get retrofitted, but it's going to be such a good thing,” Parker said.
The district will re-evaluate the forecast on Wednesday, Aug. 20, to see if there are any potential changes. If forecasted temperatures dip below 90 degrees, all schools will operate on a normal schedule.
