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Board adopts state-required maximum indoor temperature policy for schools
Summary
Trustees approved a state-mandated policy setting classroom response steps at 82°F and 88°F, including measures such as lights off, shades down and student relocation or school closure if 88°F is reached.
The Niagara Falls board on July 31 adopted a state-required policy that sets indoor temperature thresholds and required responses for school rooms and spaces. The policy prescribes mitigation steps at 82 degrees Fahrenheit and mandates either moving students to a cooler area or closing the school if the indoor temperature reaches 88 degrees.
Superintendent Tony Lohrey told trustees that, with the exception of two small sites (the CEC and the DiFrancesco Center), district buildings are air‑conditioned and staff do not expect frequent use of the higher thresholds. When indoor temperatures reach 82°F, the district must take steps such as turning off lights, pulling shades, providing fans and water breaks and opening permitted doors; at 88°F the principal must either relocate students to a cooler space or close the building, with closure days counting against the district’s allotted snow days, the superintendent said.
The policy originated from state guidance and BOCES policy committee recommendations, officials said. The board approved the resolution by roll call after waiving the standard 30-day tabling requirement during the same meeting in which it adopted the district’s device policy.
District staff said they will monitor air-conditioning equipment and respond promptly to breakdowns in any building. "If the air conditioning breaks down, like I see, it has broken down some places, we will have to adjust to this," the superintendent told the board. The policy applies to indoor temperatures, not outdoor weather.
Trustees approved the policy and instructed building leaders to follow the procedural steps outlined in the guidance; the superintendent said principals would make operational decisions about relocations to air‑conditioned auditoriums or closure when thresholds are exceeded.
