Several public school districts across Massachusetts will dismiss students early and the Lowell Public Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday as high heat is forecast to linger across the region.
Worcester, Framingham, Swampscott and Reading public schools announced that they are releasing their students early due to the heat.
Temperatures are expected to surpass 90 degrees in many spots. Eying the forecast, many officials said they are trying to keep children safe in the early days of the 2023-2024 school year.
“The temperatures in many classrooms are expected to be too hot for teachers to teach effectively,” the Lowell Public Schools said in a statement announcing its closure. “This decision was made out [of] concern for the health and safety of Lowell Public School staff and students.”
In Worcester, where most public schools do not have air conditioning, schools are set to dismiss students three hours early on Thursday and Friday. There will be no half-day preschool.
All Worcester Public Schools athletics games will be canceled on Wednesday and Thursday and team practice schedules may change. Officials said they were evaluating whether to cancel games for Friday as of Wednesday afternoon.
Only 10 of Worcester’s 45 schools have air conditioning, and high temperatures can cause confusion and a lack of energy.
Practices both indoor and outdoor can only be held before 6 a.m. or after 6 p.m. in line with Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association guidelines.
Framingham public schools will also dismiss students early on Thursday. Evening activities will be canceled, the school district announced.
Back in Worcester, some parents told 7NEWS they think early release is a good idea. Others said the move represents an inconvenience.
“Their hands are tied,” said parent Joelle Dupris. “The kids have to be in school a certain amount of time and we need to save our snow days for the winter.”
“They tell us last minute, so what about all these parents that work?” said parent Calli Hess.
There will be a heat advisory in effect for much of southern New England through Thursday, warning of feels-like temperatures up to 99 degrees.
While the heat which arrived earlier this week is expected to peak on Thursday, it will likely linger on Friday before high temperatures fall back into the 80s and 70s over the weekend into next week.
Follow the latest school closings and delays here.
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