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Benchmark: Adverse Situations

Wendy Gilbert

Educational Leadership, Grand Canyon University

EAD 536

Dr. Chris Wood

June 7, 2023
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Benchmark: Adverse Situations

In this scenario, I am the principal of Sunset Hills Elementary School, which is a K-8

school in Phoenix, Arizona. On this morning in May, it is 98 degrees and the temperature is

expected to continue to rise leading to our dismissal time of 3:45. The central air conditioning in

the building is down, and I need to decide how to respond to maintain the safety of 800 students

and my staff.

Management and Operational Systems

When determining how to respond to this situation, I would need to weigh the safety and

comfort of my students and staff against the necessity of keeping students in school and learning.

It may be necessary to send students and staff home, but I would first need to obtain additional

information. I would contact the facilities manager to see if there were portable air conditioning

units or fans which could be distributed to classrooms. I would also like to know how long the

air conditioning units would be down. Is this an issue which could be repaired by the following

school day, or do we anticipate that the units will be down for several days? What is the current

temperature inside the building? What is the forecasted temperature for the next several days?

Determining the answers to these questions would help me to determine whether I need to send

students home and what message needs to be communicated to families. Another possibility may

be to utilize fans to circulate the air and contact parents to let them know about the situation so

they would have the option to pick up their children if they deemed it necessary.

Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources

The first thing I would do is to make sure that medically fragile students were safe and

had a way to keep cool. I would have their teachers contact parents of the most vulnerable

students so they could make an informed decision for the welfare of their child.

It is important to stay hydrated when temperatures increase. Because of this, I would

contact food services and request bottles of cold water to distribute to students who did not bring

a water bottle to school that day. I would send an email to teachers asking them to make sure that

students had access to water throughout the day.

Next, I would contact the district facilities manager to see if there were portable fans and

air conditioning units which could be distributed to classrooms. If so, I would utilize one per

classroom to help circulate the air and keep students and staff cool.

If fans and bottled water were not available, I would need to expedite my decision-

making process to ensure the safety of staff and students. I would meet with my administrative

team to discuss possible options, including ending the school day early and sending students

home. If the air conditioning system were predicted to be down for several days, I would explore

the option of scheduling early release days so students would go home before the hottest part of

the day until we were able to keep the buildings cool.

Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff

Some of the considerations that will weigh into my decision include state and district

policies. While there are no district policies pertaining to the temperature of the building, district

policy does stipulate that all school facilities and equipment be subjected to routine maintenance.

The superintendent is responsible for overseeing the maintenance schedule (PUSD, 2015).

Page Unified School District also follows the guidelines set forth by the Arizona

Department of Health Services as they relate to sports practices in hot weather. These protocols
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include guidelines for increasing hydration and separating students from extreme heat. The

procedures outlined in this document leave it up to the district to determine threshold

temperatures. “A substantial body of literature has shown that denying students access to recess,

physical education, and nature has negative consequences on health, behavior, and learning.

Therefore, schools that cannot offer an alternative indoor play space should consider restricting

the use of this alternative for only those days defined in the school policy as the highest risk,”

(ADHS, 2021). Based on this policy, I would not restrict recess due to the lack of air

conditioning.

According to the Arizona Administrative Code, “A school facility shall have an HVAC

or other system capable of maintaining a temperature between 68° and 82° F under normal

conditions with an occupied classroom,” (Arizona Administrative Code, 2022). I would also

consider guidelines related to the safety of staff. “OSHA recommends temperature control in the

range of 68-76° F and humidity control in the range of 20%-60%,” (OSHA, 2001). Given that

there is an outside temperature of 98 degrees and no functioning air conditioning, the inside

temperature is very likely in excess of these recommendations.

Collaboration with Faculty and Community

While contacting facilities managers to obtain answers to the questions detailed

previously, I would send a notification to parents of students at my school through School

Messenger. This would send an automated phone call and email to parents of all students at the

school. I would alert them that the air conditioning unit at the school is broken and that I am

working with maintenance personnel to determine next steps. Sending this notification would

allow parents to make the decision that they feel is in the best interests of their children.
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Following this message, I would send an email to all staff with the same information that I

provided to parents.

I would speak with facilities managers to determine the prognosis and estimated timeline

for fixing the air conditioning units. I would also request fans or portable air conditioners for

each classroom. Once I had additional information about the availability of these supports and

the expected timeline, I would assemble my administrative team. I would collaborate with

assistant principals, my administrative assistant, the school counselor, nurse, and dean of

students to determine next steps. I would communicate with the district office once my school

administrative team reached a decision. Following approval from the superintendent, I would

communicate the decision with parents, staff, and students.

Solution and Rationale

After speaking with the facilities manager, I received information that the air

conditioning unit will likely be fixed by Friday afternoon. The temperature for the rest of the

week is expected to be over 100 degrees. However, the district facilities department can offer

fans to each classroom in the building by tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

While the fans will provide some comfort, they will not effectively lower the temperature

of the building. Based on the guidelines from the Arizona Administrative Code and OSHA, I

would elect to end the school day at 1:00 and send students and staff home. Additionally, I

would set a modified schedule for Thursday and Friday. Students would be sent home at 1:00 on

those days as well. The fans would serve to keep the air circulating to provide comfort to staff

and students during the cooler part of the day. Students would leave after lunch with the

expectation of completing assignments online in the afternoon.

Many students at my school walk to the public library at the end of the day. I would reach

out to the librarian to alert them that school would be releasing early. I would also let parents

know that the library is open and is an option for those who are not able to pick up their children

early. Parents could call the school and request that their child be allowed to walk to the library

after dismissal.

This solution would allow students and staff to return home to air conditioning before the

hottest part of the day. Students would still be offered lunch, which is free for all students in my

district. Ending the school day after lunch with the expectation of virtual learning in the

afternoon would eliminate lost instructional days because of this issue. My highest priority

would be to keep students and staff safe, and this solution would accomplish this goal. Timely

and efficient communication with parents would help ensure the safety of all students as they

would be returning home early.

References

Arizona Administrative Code. (2022, October 1). Title 7: Education, Chapter 6: School facilities

oversight board. Office of the Secretary of State: Administrative Rules Division.

https://apps.azsos.gov/public_services/Title_07/7-06.pdf.

Arizona Department of Health Services. (2021, April). Managing extreme heat recommendations

for schools: pilot version. https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-

disease-control/extreme-weather/heat/managing-extreme-heat-recommendations-for-

schools.pdf.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2001, December 17). Office

temperature/humidity. United States Department of Labor. https://www.osha.gov/laws-

regs/standardinterpretations/2003-02-24.

Page Unified School District. (2015). ECB: Building and Grounds Maintenance. Arizona School

Boards Association. https://policy.azsba.org/asba/browse/allmanuals/page/ECB.