Surrey teachers raise concerns over heat in classrooms and portables

Some teachers in Surrey are raising health and safety concerns about teaching children and teens in hot classrooms as the province experiences a heat wave.

Unseasonable temperatures in May have sparked calls for better planning for events related to climate change in the district's aging schools and portables.

Classroom conditions uncomfortable, say parents and teachers

Surrey parent Athena Adam is worried the heat is making it hard for her daughter to learn.

"My oldest one in high school says she can't concentrate ... and she doesn't know what to do because it is really hot," Adam said.

As the mid-May heat wave hits Western Canada with temperatures in the low 30s in many places around the province, some teachers are also raising alarm bells.

Daniel Barton, who teaches at Kwantlen Park Secondary School, said portables there don't have air conditioning, and the advice from the district is, with limited fans available, to move to another area or teach outside.

"I've had teachers actually to start in bring in fans ... fans from their own homes," said Barton.

Surrey Teachers Association health and safety officer Gavin Slade-Kerr said he's fielded calls from more than 20 different schools in the district with teachers asking what they are expected to tolerate.

"They're saying, 'What is the maximum temperature that I have to tolerate in this classroom?'"

He said the district has a heat stress policy that states classroom temperatures can be up to 39 C, and teachers in those situations are asked to adjust their teaching so that it's a form of resting.

Slade-Kerr said some teachers are experiencing effects related to the heat.

"Exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, general nausea, those sort of symptoms."

Surrey Teachers' Association president Jatinder Bir said there is a lack of clear communication from district officials about protocols on how to handle hot classroom temperatures.

"Look how early it's arrived in classrooms now, and we don't have proper communication that's gone out."

School district says support is being offered 

Surrey School District officials said they are offering support and strategies to teachers on how to cope with the heat but admit that even some recently built schools do not have air conditioning due to budget constraints when the money was allocated.

Surrey Schools spokesperson Ritinder Matthew said the district receives advice from the Fraser Health Authority on dealing with the heat.

"When there are extremely high temperatures in the community, there are public health concerns, so we do rely on the medical expertise of our regional medical health officer to help guide safe operation of schools," said Matthew.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care said school districts can request funding for air conditioning (HVAC) system improvements, like energy-efficient heat pumps, that can provide cooling during warm weather events through the School Enhancement Program (SEP) and the Carbon Neutral Capital Program.

Air conditioning in new schools, premier says

Premier David Eby attended the announcement of a new school in Langley on Thursday and said new schools are being built with air conditioning, but decisions around HVAC and air conditioning systems in older schools are up to individual school boards.

"We made significant investments in supporting school boards in upgrading HVAC systems and air conditioning systems across the province, including here in Langley, because we know we are going to see higher temperatures."

He said British Columbia is expecting higher temperatures in the future, so cooling systems are being built into schools, hospitals and other public facilities such as social housing.