Poudre School District will release all elementary and middle school students other than those at its three mountain schools two hours early on Aug. 14-15 because of heat concerns, the district announced Aug. 12.
The early release will also apply to students at Centennial High School, Polaris Expeditionary Learning School and Poudre Community Academy.
Students who ride school buses will be dropped off at their regular stops two hours earlier than normal, the district said in an email to students’ families and staff members.
The district’s other high schools; combined middle-high schools in Timnath and Wellington; PSD Global Academy; mountain elementary schools in Livermore, Red Feather and Stove Prairie; and the district’s Transitions Pathways programs will not be impacted and will follow their standard schedules both days.
Students entering sixth and ninth grades who are returning for a transition day Aug. 13 to become familiar with their new schools will follow a regular schedule with no early release, the district said in emails sent Aug. 12 to students, families and staff.
Most PSD high schools, as well as the combined middle-high schools, have working air conditioning to keep classrooms cooler on warm days. Many of the district’s elementary and middle schools do not have air conditioning or other adequate cooling systems.
PSD is working on adding air conditioning to all of its school buildings that do not yet have it with funding from the 2024 debt-free schools mill levy but is limited by finances and contractor availability in the number of systems that can be installed each year, Chief Financial Officer Dave Montoya has said repeatedly in presentations to the Board of Education.
The decision to implement the heat-related early releases under the district’s protocol was made the morning of Aug. 12, when National Weather Service forecasts were calling for high temperatures in Fort Collins of 97 degrees Aug. 14 and 94 degrees Aug. 15. The district’s heat-related early release/closure protocol uses the forecast for the 80525 ZIP Code.
High temperatures were forecast to remain in the 90s through at least Aug. 18.
The NWS HeatRisk index for Aug. 13-18 was projected to be moderate, rather than in the more severe major or extreme categories.
Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell, threads.net/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.