Students and teachers are sweltering in public schools across Puerto Rico and demanding that the government install air conditioners as the U.S. Caribbean territory bakes under record heat this year.
A school maintenance worker wears sun protection at the Escuela Elemental Santiago Iglesias Pantn school in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Students and teachers are holding class in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning amid record heat this year. – Public school teacher Ángel Muñiz grabbed a thermometer and thrust it into the camera as someone recorded him inside his classroom this week.
“Records are being broken almost every day,” said Odalys Martínez, National Weather Service forecaster. Her school installed air conditioners in April for its 165 students and some 40 employees, but they have yet to be turned on.In addition, a power outage last week that has yet to be fixed forced her school to start releasing students at 11:30 a.m. since it has no generator. The electrical problems began afterpummeled the island in 2017 and razed the power grid that crews only recently started to rebuild.
“Our classrooms have turned into saunas, and the Department of Education has dragged its feet in responding to the situation,” said Edwin Morales, vice president of the island’s Federation of Teachers. “This is alarming,” said Raúl González, the association's vice president, adding that they've received reports of teachers and students fainting from the heat.
“It is a shame that with a purchase order of $33 million for the replacement and installation of air conditioners, the department only thinks of installing water fountains, giving Friday off and buying fans,” he said.In the meantime, students are fanning themselves with notebooks, teachers are fundraising money for more classroom fans and courses such as cooking and cosmetology have been affected, because the intense heat prevents the use of certain equipment.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
First day of school for NYC students amid looming school bus strike, influx of migrant studentsThe nation's largest school district, New York City, begins the new school year.
Read more »
Tropical Storm Lee forecast to strengthen into major hurricane as it churns in Atlantic toward CaribbeanLee is expected to become a hurricane later Wednesday and develop into a major hurricane in a couple of days.
Read more »
Hurricane Idalia pushes flamingos far from the CaribbeanHurricane Idalia wreaked havoc on the 'Big Bend' in Florida last week, but the storm has had unusual effects on places as far away as Ohio.
Read more »
Lee could hit Caribbean as a near-Category 5 stormLee’s maximum forecast intensity of 150 mph is equivalent to the strongest storm in the Atlantic basin this season – Hurricane Franklin – and stronger than any storm so far in the eastern Pacific. …
Read more »
Tropical Storm Lee forecast to strengthen into hurricane as it churns in Atlantic toward CaribbeanTropical Storm Lee churned through the open waters of the Atlantic on Wednesday and was expected to soon become a hurricane as it approached the Caribbean.
Read more »
Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 Update With No Johnny Depp Sparks BacklashCould Disney bring back Jack Sparrow?
Read more »