Pittsburgh Public Schools to shift 35 schools to remote learning due to projected high temperatures
Pittsburgh Public Schools will temporarily shift to synchronous remote learning at 35 school buildings this week due to projected high temperatures, the district announced on Sunday.
The change will be in effect from Sept. 1-3 as temperatures are expected to reach the 90s across the Pittsburgh region. The district said it is implementing its extreme heat protocol at schools expected to be most affected by the forecast.
District spokesperson Ebony Pugh told KDKA Radio on Monday morning that the decision comes down to safety.
"When we have those high temperatures, the inside of some of our school buildings can get very hot and unsafe," Pugh said.
Under the protocol, the district monitors indoor temperatures when the National Weather Service forecasts outdoor temperatures of at least 85 degrees or a heat index of 90 degrees or higher.
If temperatures inside instructional spaces reach 90 degrees or higher, the district evaluates whether to temporarily shift to remote learning, among other necessary measures.
"We do make sure our schools are prepared because we have had this heat protocol in place for a few years. From the first day, our schools are getting students their laptops and getting them familiar with using it," Pugh said.
The list stretches across the city from Allderdice and Carrick to Westinghouse, Perry, Greenfield and dozens more.
Students are expected to log on and follow their regular school day remotely, with teachers providing live, synchronous instruction.
"Students will log in at their scheduled time communicated by their school, and they'll participate in live instruction with their teachers," Pugh said.
For now, the district says the plan is remote learning Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the weather and conditions inside these buildings determining what happens next.
The district says families at the 35 affected buildings should have already received information directly from their schools about remote learning.
The affected buildings are listed below.
- Allderdice
- Arsenal 6-8
- Arsenal K-5
- Beechwood
- Carrick
- Chartiers ECC
- Clayton
- Colfax
- Concord
- Crescent ECC
- Dilworth
- Faison
- Fulton
- Grandview
- Greenfield
- Liberty
- Linden
- Manchester
- Mifflin
- Miller
- Montessori
- Morrow (Intermediate Building)
- Morrow (Primary Building)
- Northview Heights ECC
- Perry
- Roosevelt ECC
- Schiller
- Science and Technology
- Spring Garden ECC
- Spring Hill
- Sterrett
- Student Achievement Center
- Weil
- Westinghouse
- Woolslair
