DENVER — Denver Public Schools' last day of classes is June 3, and for many students, it was their first year with air conditioning.
A bond proposal helped make construction in some schools possible over the summer.
Denver7 looked into ways the air conditioning solved problems beyond temperature, including behavioral issues and half days due to heat.
"I think our kids have been thrilled to be able to just not have to worry about climate control in their in their classrooms. So they were, they were excited, and continue to be," Polaris Elementary School Principal Adrienne Lopez said. "It's just fantastic to just take that worry off everyone's plate."
Lopez said installing AC is an example of removing barriers for kids and making sure they operate as their best selves.
"I think any time you can soften the environment for children, the better their work output will be," Lopez said.
The installation also allowed the school to stay open each day.
"Because Colorado mornings are usually pretty cool, we were always able to run a half day, but we did have rare occasions where we did have to close at halfway through the the school day," Lopez said. "We're thrilled to say that that no longer is something that we need to think about. And we've been able to run our school every single day this school year."
There are still more schools that need air conditioning installed, according to Denver Public Schools Senior Manager of Media and PR Javier Ibarra.
"So the bond is a four year, so we have to spend the funds within the four years. And it's it's a bit of a process, I would say, right? We don't interrupt the school day. So the only time that we can work on our buildings is during the summer," Ibarra said.
When it comes to deciding which schools topped the list to get AC first, Ibarra said the district looked at its Heat Mitigation Index to consider factors like which schools have brick, that allows them to stay cooler, and if they face away or toward the sun. DPS also considered which schools are located in neighborhoods that tend to be cooler.
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