N.S. parents sound alarm on extreme heat in schools

An empty classroom is pictured. (CTV file photo)

A parent-led climate advocacy group is launching a campaign to keep students and educators safe from extreme heat.

For Our Kids (FOK) cites concerns about the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat events across Nova Scotia due to climate change.

The group’s campaign “Hot Schools, Cool Solutions,” launched Tuesday, which is also Heat Action Day, and calls for urgent protections from the government.

They also aim to raise awareness around the health and safety risks associated with extreme heat, including the growing dangers of indoor heat exposure.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to heat stress,” says Daniel Rainham, academic director and cofounder at the Centre for Health at Dalhousie University. “Their bodies are less efficient at regulating temperature than adults, making them more susceptible to heat-related illness during extreme heat events.”

FOK says while there currently is no provincial monitoring of indoor school temperatures, the group has heard from teachers across Nova Scotia that temperatures regularly reach the mid- to high-30s during heat events.

“At the same time, teachers are increasingly being forced to manage overheated classrooms, monitor students for signs of heat stress, respond to illness and dysregulation, and provide additional emotional and physical care,” reads the FOK news release.

The parents are calling for immediate and long-term solutions, including:

• clear and enforceable maximum indoor temperature thresholds for schools and school buses
• equitable province-wide extreme heat protocols
• air-conditioned cooling spaces in schools
• modernized ventilation systems and improved air quality standards
• retrofitting schools with passive cooling measures (shaded windows, cool roofs, increased green space)
• forecast-triggered schedule adjustments during heat events.

“As a parent, I am deeply concerned about the lack of adequate ventilation, cooling systems, and shaded outdoor spaces in our schools,” says Wyanne Sandler, co-director of FOK.

FOK notes the heat doesn’t just strike at the peak of summer, but now extreme heat linked to climate change comes earlier in the spring and lasts later into the fall.

“Children struggle to learn in overheated classrooms,” says Peter Day, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. “In recent years many schools have become increasingly uncomfortable during June and September. The NSTU supports For Our Kids’ efforts to create safer, cooler, and healthier learning environments for students, teachers and staff.”

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