DENVER — On Thursday, Denver Public Schools canceled classes at 13 schools and released students early at two others because of extreme heat. All the schools did not have air conditioning, which prompted district officials to take those measures.
Lack of air conditioning in schools is a common problem in districts across Colorado in August, and parents want to know why the school year can’t be shifted to avoid the hotter months.
It's a concern Denver7 viewer Linda emailed about, asking: “Why are we starting school so much earlier every year? Everyone complains about the heat and letting schools out early. There’s an easy fix, go Memorial Day week to Labor Day week like it used to be!"
We brought that question to Scott Pribble, the director of external communications for Denver Public Schools, who said Linda's suggestion to fix the problem is not as easy as it sounds.
“We are required to have a certain number of contact days and hours with our students, and because of that, we are not able to fit those in between Labor Day and Memorial Day like we used to,” Pribble said.
Pribble told Denver7 DPS is one of the last school districts to start in the state. Their first day of school was Au. 18 and the last day of school will be May 29, 2026.
“It's a balance that we're trying to work towards to make sure that we are able to meet the state requirements, but also take care of our kids,” Pribble said.
Pribble added that if they started after Labor Day, the school year would go well into mid-June, another month with the potential for extreme heat days.
Pribble said that by 2028, the district is expected to be finished installing air conditioning at all schools and hot weather days should no longer be an issue.
“We're very excited for that day,” Pribble said.
