Central Square School District Letter to Parents

CENTRAL SQUARE – We have been closely monitoring the weather forecast for next week and Tuesday is very concerning because they are calling for a high of 98 degrees. The high for Monday is forecasted to be in the high 80s; there is no
school on Wednesday because it is Juneteenth, a National holiday, and Thursday, Friday, and the following
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are half days. While there is air condition in our high school and middle
school, our elementary schools, similar to the majority of elementary schools in New York State, are not air-conditioned because they were built over 70 years ago. We will continue to find ways to mitigate the warm temperatures in our elementary schools, but ultimately a capital project to put air conditioning in our four elementary schools will exceed $25 million, which is what we were told six years ago when we looked into this.

We are not saying that is not an option in the future, and we will continue to discuss this with our architects.
Tuesday, June 18, will be a half day for our elementary and middle school students so we can avoid having our
students and staff at the elementary schools in classrooms during this sweltering heat. We are aware that our
middle school is air-conditioned. However, we have received significant feedback from parents over the years
informing us that they often have to rely on their middle and high school aged children to watch their younger
siblings during half days when parents are at work.

We are required by the NYS Education Department to not only have a minimum of 180 instructional days, but we also must comply with the required 900 instructional hours for elementary students and the required 990 instructional hours for our middle and high school students. By changing Tuesday from a full day to a half day, we are still in compliance with these two regulations.

Yesterday was the last regular school day for our high school students, and they only come to school now to take
a Regents exam, and they will be taking those exams in air-conditioned rooms. With the temperature pushing
100 degrees this coming Tuesday, we would not even want our students out for recess or for field days/fun days
because of heat exhaustion. If your child has their elementary field days/fun days scheduled for Tuesday
afternoon, your child’s principal will be informing you of when those field days/fun days will be rescheduled.
Even though the forecasters are predicting Monday’s high temperature to be in the upper 80s, as a parent you
absolutely have the right to keep your child home if you feel your child struggles in warmer temperatures, even
though they will be given unlimited water breaks, and we are opening all of the air ducts in our elementary
schools in the early morning hours drawing in the cool air, which will help offset the high temperatures outside.
Sincerely,

Thomas J. Colabufo
Superintendent

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