Engaging District Leaders on Extreme Heat

On a November day in Massachusetts, it’s easy to push the threat of extreme heat farther down on a school leader’s list of concerns. As our tracking of extreme weather events reminds us, however, come next June, we’re sure to see school closures because of unbearable conditions in school classrooms. It’s time to make a plan and there are new resources to help districts chart a path to more climate-resilient school buildings.

So on November 4, we moderated a panel on the topic at the Massachusetts Association of School Committees' and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents' joint leadership conference in Hyannis. Our panel led off with Stacey Chacker from Health Resources in Action who described how extreme heat threatens student health and learning, especially in resource-deprived communities. Kim Cullinane from Eversource discussed the new utility incentives and how those can pair with the Inflation Reduction Act to help make heat pumps — one solution to protect against extreme heat — affordable. And lastly, Adam Klein, a school committee member from Acon-Boxborough talked about the decision-making process and how his community is benefitting from their new Boardwalk Campus.  

Check out the presentation and share it with your district leader to start a conversation now about protecting students, educators, and staff from the dangers of extreme heat.