Major improvements to Placer High School’s air conditioning units were not completed over the summer resulting in uncomfortable temperatures in some classrooms. This raises the question of how hot is too hot for students?
Although the majority of Placer High School classrooms have air conditioning units, students have been uncomfortable in the heat of the non-air-conditioned rooms. Many of Placer High School’s teachers understand the difficulty for students to focus and learn when the room is not at a reasonable temperature.
Timothy “Red” Johnson, a Placer High School art teacher stated, “The heat is very draining, you don’t feel good and it makes you want to take a nap,”
Joey Wilkie, a junior at Placer High School explains he enjoys a cooler classroom.
“The coolness keeps you awake and helps keep you focused,” stated Wilkie.
Research has shown humans perform better in a cooler rather than a hotter temperature. It is recommended classroom temperatures should range from a high of 85 degrees to a low of 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
June Gallo a freshman at Placer High School states, “In room 306 in 5th period it gets so hot that it feels weirdly humid to the point where I can’t focus.”
Johnson agrees that neither students nor teachers should deal with an uncomfortably hot classroom, “No human should have to live in such humanities.”
With the summer months ending, many continue to wonder when the air conditioning will get fixed?
Dan Wilson is a Placer High School teacher who works in a classroom with temporary air conditioning daily.
“From my understanding, they have been working on the AC [air conditioning] units over the weekends and having it completed as soon as possible,. They have to work on the inspectors’ timeline,” shares Wilson.
In replacement, classrooms have been supplied with portable air conditioning units.
According to Wilson, these portable units are, “Not adequate after lunch.”
Many others agree, that these portable units are loud and underperform.
Both students and teachers have agreed that the heat disrupting students’ learning and needs to be fixed as soon as possible for students to perform to their best potential.