TDSB says heat plan will be in place as kids head back to school amid sweltering temperatures

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) says it has a plan to help its school communities deal with sweltering temperatures as kids head back to classes for the first day of school Tuesday.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) says it has a plan to help its school communities deal with sweltering temperatures as kids head back to classes for the first day of school Tuesday.

According to the school board, the plan includes reducing strenuous activities, such as gym and sports, encouraging everyone to drink lots of water, keeping doors and windows open where possible and using fans to provide air movement.

Of the TDSB’s 583 schools, 177 are largely air conditioned, while 243 others have cooling centres in large spaces such as gyms or libraries. The rest have temperature cooling areas classes can rotate through, where a temporary air conditioning unit is set up.

Each school will make its own decision about whether recess will be held outdoors Tuesday, depending on factors such as whether the schoolyard has shady areas or not. Outdoor opening day activities could also be postponed, the board said.

The board is advising parents to dress kids in light clothing to stay cool and says families can send kids with a thermos to keep water cold if they wish.

Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at Unity Health Toronto, shared similar advice for parents.

“Make sure that the kids are dressed in loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing and drink plenty of water,” she told CP24. “And then teachers and schools need to be ensuring that there's plenty of ventilation — open windows, fans if there's no access to air conditioning, and plenty of time to cool down. Also, kids shouldn't be forced to exert themselves in the heat.