Buffalo Public Schools receives backlash after students complete exams in ‘dangerously hot’ classrooms

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    BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — Buffalo Public Schools are receiving some backlash after administering the regents exam in “dangerously hot” classrooms this past week.

BPS senior Eniece Glenn tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person that she took the exam inside a classroom with no air conditioning.

“I kept dozing off from time to time. It was too hot,” Glenn said. “When you’re trying to think and you got the heat, it just drains you. It makes you exhausted and it’s just harder to think.”

Deonne Wedlington is a freshman at BPS who says it’s extremely hot inside the school without air conditioning.

“There should be central air in schools,” Wedlington said. “It prevents the risk of people passing out or having an asthma attack without being entirely too hot.”

Meanwhile, some New York State educators are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign a classroom heat bill into law. The law would require school districts to address heat conditions when classroom temperatures hit 82 degrees and vacate classrooms entirely at 88 degrees.

“And she needs to sign it,” said Eve Shippens, a co-chair of Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization. “City kids are suffering because of the heat and failing because of the heat and that’s just not right. We need to recognize that climate change is real and we’re going to have hotter and hotter Junes and students and staff shouldn’t be in those classrooms.”

A spokesperson for Buffalo Public Schools released the following statement to 7 News:

“High school students were not in school on Monday due to mandatory NYS regents exams and on Wednesday in observance of the holiday. As the regents exam schedule is mandated and set by New York State, high school students were expected to report for their regularly scheduled regents exams, which were only for a few hours on the day of the exams. The district purchased 100 extra cases of bottled water this week to give to students and teachers partaking in the regents exams. The district is taking the following actions to help manage this excessive heat during the final days of school: school engineers are inspecting all schools’ ventilation systems to guarantee appropriate airflow; they have tested any schools with air conditioning systems to make sure they are operating correctly; they are monitoring room temperatures; and they are providing extra fans to schools. In addition, the district issued multiple announcements across various communication platforms, including daily robocalls to families, caregivers, and students, to keep them informed and prepare for this week.”

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