Massachusetts

Schools Announce Early Dismissals Amid Hot Temps

As various New England communities face scorching temperatures in the midst of an excessive heat watch, some Massachusetts schools have announced early dismissals.

Haverhill public schools announced half days for their students for Tuesday and Wednesday. Students from Haverhill High School will be dismissed at 10:30 a.m. while elementary school children will be dismissed at 11:35 a.m. Middle school students will be dismissed at 11:05 a.m.

Lawrence public high schools announced early dismissals for their students Monday through Thursday. Preschool students will not have class all week.

For parents like Dania Tejeda, it was a precaution that is causing some problems.

"For other parents, it's going to be difficult for us who have to work or something," Tejeda said.

Chris Markuns, a spokesman for Lawrence Public Schools, said aging school buildings across the district, as well as the state, don't have the cooling and ventilation systems in place to weather the hot temperatures.

"A lot of our buildings - not all of them - but a lot of them have the same challenges. We want as much learning time with our kids as we can get but we want it to be productive happy healthy learning time," Markuns said.

Worcester public schools, a part of one of the largest school districts in Massachusetts, will continue to attend full days through their first week of school.

High temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s, but with the humidity in New England, the heat index values will exceed 100 degrees through at least Wednesday.

For details on affected areas, click here.

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