Twenty schools in the Columbus (Ohio) district will start the new year remotely because of extreme heat and high humidity.
The affected buildings do not have air conditioning in classrooms or are working on getting HVAC systems installed or fixed, reports the Columbus Dispatch.
Nearly 7,300 students are affected by the schools closings. The rest of the district will start the new school year in person on Thursday.
The district will continue to monitor the weather and expects the 20 affected school buildings will transition to in-person learning starting Monday.
These are the 20 affected buildings:
High Schools (3)
- Columbus Alternative High School (CAHS)
- Eastmoor Academy
- Whetstone High School
Middle Schools (6)
- Arts Impact Middle School
- Columbus City Preparatory School for Boys
- Johnson Park Middle School
- Mifflin Middle School
- Westmoor Middle School
- Yorktown Middle School
Elementary Schools (11)
- Broadleigh Elementary School
- Columbus Gifted Academy
- Como Elementary School
- Fairwood Elementary School
- Hubbard Elementary School
- Maize Elementary School
- North Linden Elementary School
- Siebert Elementary School
- Valleyview Elementary School
- West Broad Elementary School
- Westgate Elementary School
Columbus City Schools has gradually been upgrading the HVAC systems in its buildings through Operation: Fix It, a $125 million, districtwide building improvement initiative funded by a portion of a tax increase voters approved in 2016.
