As the school year draws to a close in Newark, New Jersey, some students are celebrating for an unexpected reason: For many, summer break means a chance to cool off.
The extreme heat in recent days has made it almost unbearable to spend time inside some of the city's dilapidated school buildings, with some lacking air conditioning.
Simone Machado was worried about how her 10-year-old son, Brian, would handle the heat so she took him from Ann Street Primary School early on Thursday morning. By the time he arrived, he already had a bright red rash on his neck.
His fourth-grade classroom was “very, very hot,” he said, and he was dreading returning to school on Friday, when temperatures in Newark were expected to reach nearly 100 degrees. The only saving grace was that it was the last day of school.
“I don't want to go. The rash will just get worse,” he said. “Thank goodness school is over tomorrow.”
Newark's mayor issued a “code red” alert as temperatures reached the high 90s Fahrenheit, and the city urged residents to go to recreation centers or pools to cool off. City officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation inside the school.
Andre Teixeira also rushed to Ann Street Elementary School in the working-class Ironbound neighborhood to pick up his kids early. When he arrived, his 6-year-old daughter, Amelie, was drenched in sweat. When he asked her how she was, she simply said, “I'm hot.”
Teixeira said he was frustrated by the heat inside the school.
“It's a shame,” he said. “This is considered one of the best schools in the Ironbound area.”
Studies have shown that heat can have a negative impact on learning, and while the state is funding some new school buildings, many of the city's older ones — some of which are over 100 years old — have been left in disrepair, according to Chalkbeat.
As students filed out of West Side High School across Ann Street after class, 15-year-old Jasir Graham said he felt like he was “in boiling water” during class.
“It's excruciatingly painful,” he said.
Nearby, 18-year-old Mamina Napoleon said years of studying in Newark's muggy schools had taught her to conserve her energy to avoid heatstroke.
“I just walk slowly,” she said, “because I've learned that if I walk faster, I get even hotter.”
