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Union schools move to half-day during heat wave; superintendent cites state guidance and announces $320,000 tutoring grant
Summary
Superintendent Benacquisto told the board the district ran early dismissals during a heat wave because older classrooms could not be kept within state-recommended thermal bands; he also announced a $320,000 high-impact tutoring grant coming forward for approval next month.
The Township of Union Public Schools operated on a half-day schedule during a recent heat wave because, the superintendent said, older non–air-conditioned classrooms could not be kept within a safe and comfortable temperature range for a full instructional day.
"Our monitoring shows that many of our older, non air conditioned classrooms cannot be kept within a safe and comfortable range throughout our full school day," Superintendent Dr. Benacquisto told the board. He cited state indoor-air guidance and regulation 7421, saying the district's actions "are consistent with regulation 7421" and practices used by other New Jersey districts during similar heat events.
Benacquisto said early dismissal was a last resort after mitigation measures such as fans, relocation and short-term steps were considered. "We fully recognize that early dismissals are disruptive for families, and we do not take these decisions lightly," he said, and added the district will document conditions and prioritize facility improvements to reduce future heat-related schedule changes.
In the meeting the superintendent also announced the district has been awarded a $320,000 New Jersey high-impact tutoring grant. "We were awarded the competitive grant — it's a high New Jersey high impact tutoring grant, $320,000 — that will be formally presented to the board for the resolution next month," he said; the board was told the item will appear on a future agenda for formal approval.
The operations committee presented routine items including approval of security-drill reports and other operational resolutions; the superintendent’s report and the grants announcement were the primary operational items that generated follow-up requests from board members.
Board members thanked teachers and staff for adjusting schedules and for outreach to students during the hot weather. The district said it will continue to pursue outside funding and document conditions to support facility-improvement planning.
