'It's just inescapable': Toronto students, teachers seek relief from hot classrooms

In Beatrice Schneider’s seventh grade classroom in Toronto, there are two fans in opposite corners of the room. One of them is broken.

In Beatrice Schneider’s seventh grade classroom in Toronto, there are two fans in opposite corners of the room. One of them is broken.

When temperatures soar – as they have this week while much of Ontario experiences a heat wave – the class gets stuffy, the students get sweaty and learning can be difficult.

"It’s so hot," said Beatrice, who is 12. "There’s barely any breeze through the windows. It’s not enough."

Beatrice is a student at Humbercrest Public School, which is among hundreds of schools in the Toronto District School Board without air-conditioned classrooms.

As climate change worsens extreme weather conditions, the lack of air conditioning in many classes has become a heated issue amongst concerned students, parents and teachers, who say school boards and governments need to address the problem.

For Beatrice, the last few days – when Environment Canada has warned of temperatures hitting up to 35 C – have been "a drag."

"We go outside mostly for gym, play a game, kick a ball around. And then we come back inside and there's nowhere to cool off. It’s just inescapable," she said.