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The Cities Blog
Jon Gordon

Minneapolis Public Schools: No classes at more than two dozen sites on Thursday and Friday

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There are no classes at more than two dozen Minneapolis public school sites that lack air conditioning for Thursday and Friday, Aug. 29 and 30, according to Minneapolis Public Schools.  Classes will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

"In deciding to cancel classes at select schools, we took into account the assessments of MPS leadership, school principals and leaders in our Health Services and Emergency Management, Safety and Security departments," Minneapolis Public Schools said in a press release. "While we were able to deploy additional resources to lessen the effects of heat as much as possible Monday through Wednesday, we determined that the level of support necessary for student health and safety at these locations would be unsustainable for the remainder of the week."

MPS Chief Communications Officer Stan Alleyne said the safety of students and staff was the main reason the district decided to cancel school at buildings without air conditioning.

"When folks are in a situation where they’re hot and they’re sweating consecutive days, unless they’re hydrating properly, eventually they’re going to be dehydrated," Alleyne said. "That takes a toll on students and it really takes a toll on teachers and staff who are in constant motion all day."

There have been some heat-related incidents at the school buildings without air conditioning this week, Alleyne said, but none required hospitalization.

"We’ve delivered thousands of cases of water and we’ve also brought in a lot of fans and air conditioning," Alleyne said, "but at some point we’ve decided that it’s no longer sustainable and we want to give our staff and students a couple days off."

Classes are canceled on Thursday and Friday at the following schools: 

Anthony

Anwatin

Armatage

Bancroft

Broadway at Longfellow

Bryn Mawr

Dowling

Edison

Field

Hall

Henry

Heritage Academy

Hiawatha (Hiawatha campus only)

Jefferson

Kenny

Kenwood

Lake Harriet Lower

Lake Harriet Upper

Loring

Northrop

Pratt

Roosevelt

Sanford

Sheridan

Southwest

Tatanka Academy

Wellstone

From the District's website:

MPS to cancel classes at 27 school programs Aug. 29 and 30

MINNEAPOLIS – Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) will cancel classes at 26 school programs in buildings lacking air conditioning on Thursday, Aug. 29, and Friday, Aug. 30, due to ongoing high temperatures in the region. Classes at those sites will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 3, after the Labor Day holiday. Students will not need to make up the canceled days.

All other sites will remain open as usual.

Sites that will close include:

Anthony, Anwatin, Armatage, Bancroft, Broadway at Longfellow, Bryn Mawr, Dowling, Edison, Field, Hall, Henry, Heritage Academy, Hiawatha, Jefferson, Kenny, Kenwood, Lake Harriet Upper, Lake Harriet Lower, Loring, Northrop, Pratt, Roosevelt, Sanford, Sheridan, Southwest, Tatanka Academy, Wellstone.

Minneapolis Kids child care programs at Armatage, Bancroft, Dowling, Field, Kenny, Northrop and Pratt will also be closed.

Athletic events at the impacted schools may or may not continue at the discretion of the school athletic director. Parents should contact their school athletic director with any questions.

Sites that will remain open include: 

Adult Education (North and South campuses), Andersen, Barton, Bethune, Burroughs, Emerson, Folwell, Green Central, Hale, Harrison, Hmong International Academy, Howe, Jenny Lind, Pierre Bottineau, Keewaydin, Lucy Laney, Lyndale, Marcy, Mona Moede/North Star, Nellie Stone Johnson, Northeast, North, Olson, Pillsbury, Ramsey, River Bend, Seward, South, Sullivan, Waite Park, Washburn, Wellstone, Wenonah, Whittier, Wilder, Windom.

In deciding to cancel classes at select schools, we took into account the assessments of MPS leadership, school principals and leaders in our Health Services and Emergency Management, Safety and Security departments. While we were able to deploy additional resources to lessen the effects of heat as much as possible Monday through Wednesday, we determined that the level of support necessary for student health and safety at these locations would be unsustainable for the remainder of the week.