Extreme heat spells no school, early dismissal for some N.B. students Thursday

Some New Brunswick students will get to stay home or leave school early Thursday, thanks to soaring temperatures.

At least one francophone and two anglophone school districts issued advisories late Wednesday.

"In response to the current heat wave, we have advised parents to keep their children at home on Thursday," said Francophone South spokesperson Jean-Luc Thériault.

The only exceptions are for students attending Régionale de Baie–Sainte-Anne and Sainte-Anne schools, which are both equipped with air conditioning, "therefore, classes will continue as normal there," and Centre scolaire communautaire Samuel-de-Champlain in Saint John, which Thériault said is not under a heat advisory, although Environment Canada lists a heat warning in effect for Saint John and County, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.

All schools are expected to be open Friday, he said, but the district is monitoring the weather conditions closely and will provide updates promptly, if necessary.

Anglophone East has decided to dismiss students early, "out of an abundance of care and caution, due to the extraordinarily warm temperatures our region is currently experiencing," superintendent Randolph MacLean told parents.

High school students don't have classes this week, the last week of school, but dismissal times for other students will range from about 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., depending on school bus schedules, according to the notice.

"All school and student celebrations (proms, graduations, award nights, etc.) will continue as scheduled, unless otherwise indicated at the local level," MacLean said.

Anglophone West will also have early dismissal for students in kindergarten through Grade 8, Daniel Wishart, the manager of pupil transportation, said in an advisory.

"Students will be dismissed two hours earlier than their regular afternoon dismissal time," he said.

Environment Canada has issued heat warnings right across the province, with a maximum temperature of 30 C to 35 C expected Thursday, while the humidex will make it feel more like 39 to 45.

"Hot and humid conditions could possibly continue into Friday, especially over southern areas of the province," the alert states.

Heat warnings are issued when very high temperature or humidity conditions are expected to "pose an elevated risk of heat illnesses, such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion," according to the notice.

The Government of New Brunswick also issued a Level 3 extreme heat alert Wednesday, which warns that "everyone is at high risk" for heat-related illnesses and heat stroke.