Rushton Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District canceled classes Tuesday and multiple others schools in the district reported taxed air conditioning systems amid a historic heat wave this week.
This comes as high temperatures are expected to hover at or above 100 degrees through at least Thursday and with heat index values sometimes expected to approach 115 to 120 degrees.
Rushton closed Tuesday
On Monday night, Rushton Principal Kristy Fornal emailed families to say the school would cancel classes Tuesday because one of the air conditioning units in the building was not working.
Rushton students are attending classes this year at the former Westwood View Elementary building, 2511 W. 50th St., in Westwood, while a new Rushton gets built in Mission.
“With the excessive temperatures that are forecast for [Tuesday], we believe the building will be too hot to be safe for students and staff,” Fornal wrote in her message. “I apologize for the inconvenience this is causing, but the health and well-being of our students is extremely important, and we do not want the students and staff to suffer in a building that is too hot.”
On Tuesday, a district spokesperson said classes for Rushton at the old Westwood View building were expected to resume Wednesday.
Issues at SM South, Roesland
Meanwhile, the district confirmed that Shawnee Mission South High School, 5800 W. 107th St., in Overland Park, also experienced air conditioning problems Tuesday.
Repairs were made Monday evening, the district said, and the SM South campus was open Tuesday.
But not before some discomfort experienced by students.
A parent told the Post in an email Tuesday that physical education classes were moved to an auxiliary gym because the main gym was too hot to have activities in.
The school’s auditorium was also closed off Monday, according to parents’ comments on Facebook, because it was too large a space to keep cool.
Also Monday, Roesland Elementary, 4900 Parish Dr., in Roeland Park, also experienced air conditioning problems.
Parts of the interior of the building reached 78 degrees Monday, according to an email sent to families by Principal Kelly Swift.
“Shawnee Mission’s Operation and Maitenance team has been onsite working on our AC units [Monday,” she wrote. “Please send water bottles daily with students. We are keeping students indoors and utilizing cooler areas of the building if needed.”
Outdoor recesses, activities canceled
For the second day in a row on Tuesday, the district that all outdoor recesses were canceled at the district’s elementary school.
In addition, after-school activities and middle and high schools must be held indoors in climate-controlled environments due to the excessive heat.
In an email to families, Shawnee Mission officials outlined the district’s safety guidelines for having recess when it’s extremely hot:
- Humidity above 80%: Recess should only be 15 minutes with a 5-minute rest of NO activity afterwards and plenty of fluid breaks.
- Temperature or Heat Index of 90 degrees: Recess should only be 15 minutes with a 5-minute rest of NO activity afterwards and plenty of fluid breaks.
- Temperature or Heat Index of above 100 degrees: No activity in the sun. May need to reduce activity in the shade.
- Temperature over 105 degrees: No outside activity
- Heat Index Above 110 degrees: No outside activity
District staff also asked parents and families to prioritize keeping students hydrated and helping them understand the importance of drinking water.
“These next few days will be challenging for the entire metro area, but we are prepared to respond as necessary, in order to ensure that students and staff remain safe,” district staff wrote.
