BENCHMARK: ADVERSE SITUATIONS

Benchmark: Adverse Situations

Rolanda Brown

Grand Canyon University

EAD 536

March 24, 2021

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Summary

I am a principal at a school in Arizona with 800 students. It is extremely hot and the air

conditioning in the building stops working at noon, but school does not end until 3:45 PM.

Students and teachers are unbearably hot. I must make important decisions, balancing the

needs and requirements of the district, parents, students, teachers, and the media.

Management and Operational Systems

In managing this situation, I need to make some important decisions. First, I need to

find out whether the AC can be fixed quickly, or whether it will remain down. I need to decide

if the building will become unsafely hot in the remainder of the school day. I need to know if I

have the option of closing school for the remainder of the day, and what steps need to be taken

to make that happen, or can I transport students and staff to a different location. Either way, I

will also have to manage notifying families of any changes. Finally, I need to make sure I am

following all district policies and what the guidelines are for safe temperatures are in the

schools in Arizona.

Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources

In this area, I need to make sure staff and students are aware of what is going on and

that a solution is being reached regarding the heat. If I have to transport students to another

site, or have an early dismissal, I will have to utilize all staff members to help communicate

changes to parents and make sure that they are aware of the emergency we are having. I will
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also have to use technology to communicate any changes to parents and the community. This

could include sending letters home, using email or robocalls to communicate building

dismissals, and even notifying media sources of an early dismissal or change of venue for the

remainder of the day. The media could assist in making sure the community is aware of the

changes, just in case there are parents that we are not able to reach by other means. In

addition to this, all custodial staff would have to use whatever resources they have available to

see if the AC can be fixed, and to supply fans and water to classrooms to mitigate the issue until

a solution is found.

Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff

In the state of Arizona, according to Arizona Administrative Code 7-6-213, a classroom

temperature is deemed unsafe when it is above 82 degrees Fahrenheit. In this situation, the

school needs to closely monitor the building to see if the temperatures are rising above this. If

they are, students and staff members can get sick, and the school could be in violation. The

most important thing is to protect the safety of the students and staff members. In fact, many

schools in Arizona have information about what they will do on excessive heat days. One local

school stresses that students will remain indoors during excessive heat days. (Chandler

Unified School District, 2021). This makes me realize that going outdoors for more air is not a

viable option to protect the students.

The district that I teach in is located in Maryland. We rarely have hot weather inclement

weather days. So, our policy does not specifically address what would happen when there is an

excessive heat day or when building AC goes out. However, in the event of a district-wide

school closure, the district has several ways of notifying the community. The school uses the

radio and television as a way of communicating closures. They also utilize a text/email alert
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system that parents have to opt in to receive. If there is an early dismissal, on the school level,

the staff would try other ways of communicating this to families, including phone calls and

robocalls. (PGCPS, 2021). The school will make a decision based on the welfare of the students

and staff on whether they need to close. If it was a building situation, the principal would

contact the school’s emergency services and communicate with them about what decision should

be made and how it will be implemented according to district policy. Closing the building or

transporting students is not up to the principal.

Collaboration with Faculty and Community

The stakeholders in this case are the staff and students, parents, administrators, security

officers, custodians and maintenance supervisors, and also, important positions in the county that

might report to the school or help with decision-making. These would be the Chief Operating

Officer, The Associate Superintendent for Supporting Services, the Area Associate

Superintendent, the Instructional Director, the Director of Safety and Security Services, the

Assistant Director of Safety and Security Services, and the Safety Officer. These individuals

would be who the principal reports to in regards to making a decision about transporting students

or closing the building.

Solution and Rationale

In this situation, I believe there are 2 different solutions.

1. Implement a 2-hour early dismissal for the school and communicate with families and

buses to transport students home safely.

2. Continue the day as normal, but provide fans and water so students can try to stay cooler

and focus, closely watching building temperature.

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3. Transport the entire school to a nearby building with working AC, and communicate a

new pick-up site to buses and families.

Action Steps

1. Determine if the AC can be fixed and determine building temperature and projected

temperature.

2. Consult with district security officers and leaders about possible solutions and a 2-hour

early dismissal

3. Distribute fans and water to classrooms.

4. Communicate the early dismissal to the news, radio stations, parents, and community

members through radio, television, robo-calls, phone calls home, and any other means.

Prepare a letter to send home about the status of the school’s AC unit. Notify the bus lot

of the early dismissal.

5. Work with custodians, maintenance supervisors, and the school district security officers

to determine next steps for AC repairs and whether school can open the following day.

Communicate any further closures in the same way.

Rationale

After consulting with the proper school authorities, the solution I would choose would be

Solution number 1, a 2-hour early dismissal. I would do this for several reasons. First, we are

close to the end of the school day, and a 2 hour early would allow students to leave school before

the heat of the day. Second, it would still give us enough time to communicate the early

dismissal with news sources, parents, and the community. Third, moving students to another

building would cause such a disruption, that little learning would occur. Teachers would
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probably be giving busy work and sitting in a cafeteria in another building all together, which

wouldn’t be conducive to teaching. The distractions would be too much for true learning to take

place. Finally, the safety of students and staff is paramount. I would rather send students and

staff home early where they can be safe and secure, then keep them in a building that is too hot.

There are too many opportunities for related medical emergencies to arise and too much liability

for the school system. In his article, Housch discusses whether air conditioning is needed in the

school. He states several results of no AC, including sweating, failure to concentrate, sleepiness,

and an overall inability to learn. This type of unsafe environment dictates that the school needs

to close. He states, “In Baltimore County schools, the policy is that schools will close if the heat

index will be at or above 90 degrees by 11 a.m.” (Housch, 2017). In this case, with the school’s

AC not functioning, leaving students in school will not help them learn and could pose a greater

risk to their health and safety. (Housch, 2017).

References
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Casetext Inc. (2021, March 5). Ariz. Admin. Code § 7-6-213. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from

https://casetext.com/regulation/arizona-administrative-code/title-7-education/chapter-6-

school-facilities-board/article-2-minimum-school-facility-guidelines/section-r7-6-213-

classroom-temperature

Chandler Unified School District. (2021). Elementary education / Heat DAYS (Excessive Heat).

Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.cusd80.com/Page/40547

Housch, Will.  (2017). Air Conditioning in Schools-is it Essential for Learning? 

https://www.hvac.com/blog/air-conditioning-schools-essential/

PGCPS. (2021). Emergency notifications, school closings and delays. Retrieved March 24, 2021,

from

https://www.pgcps.org/about-pgcps/emergency-notifications-school-closings-and-delays