HEAT BAKES AREA STUDENTS; SOME DISTRICTS OPT FOR SHORTER SCHOOL DAYS

SEEKING SHADE: Jefferson Elementary School teacher Ann Freeman and student teacher Dana Porter read to a third grade class while sitting in the shade of a tree on the school lawn Wednesday. Many classes moved outdoors to get relief from the heat. Some area schools are dismissing classes early because of the hot weather. (Photo by Mark Sterkel)

Area schools are dealing with a problem that's unusual for mid-September 90-degree heat in classrooms that lack air conditioning.

"It's pretty darn hot," said Larry Beshears, superintendent of Delta schools, where students are being dismissed at 1:10 p.m. today because of the heat.

The forecast doesn't promise much relief. The National Weather Service forecasts highs in the lower 90s today, with temperatures ranging from 90 to 95 Friday.

"The kids get pretty lethargic. Their concentration is affected, and they just become miserable in the classroom," Beshears said.

Although afternoon is usually the hottest time of the day, Beshears said the buildings at Delta don't cool off well at night, and are usually hot in the morning hours as well.

Sister Mary Ann Fischer, principal of Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau, said the parochial school will dismiss at 2:05 p.m. today and Friday because of the heat.

Cape Girardeau Public Schools, however, will not dismiss early.

"It has been unbearable," Fischer said, "And we don't see any relief in sight."

Fischer and others agreed the intense humidity of the past several days has taken its toll on schoolchildren.

By cutting the day short by an hour or two, students and teachers receive a little bit of a break, Fischer said.

"The humidity is what really makes it unbearable," she said. "I'm hoping the weather will change by next week."

Classrooms in Chaffee, Scott City and Jackson are air-conditioned, school officials said. In Cape Girardeau, a few buildings are also air-conditioned.

At Oak Ridge, where only the elementary school cafeteria and several high school classrooms are cooled, Superintendent Roger Tatum is monitoring classroom temperatures.

"At this time, we're not planning on letting the kids out early, but if the temperatures start getting above 90 degrees in the classrooms, we will consider it," Tatum said.

Tatum said elementary students seem to suffer most from the heat. He said younger students are typically more active during recess periods, and are unable to cool down once they return to the classroom.

"When they're in a classroom that's hot, they're distracted from the learning situation," he said. "Fortunately, they have a nice, cool lunch area."

Most school officials said they are allowing students frequent water breaks and limiting the activity of students during recess periods.

"We're trying to keep them as inactive as possible," said Michael Johnson, superintendent of Kelly schools.

"We've got as many fans going as we can get in a classroom," Johnson said. "We're trying to stay in school, but it's terribly humid."

Most classrooms at Kelly are not air-conditioned.

Some schools, like Meadow Heights in Patton, held shorter-than-average days during the first two weeks of the school year. The school is now holding full days.

At Perryville, officials said they are moving students around from air-conditioned to non-air-conditioned rooms. The district's elementary building and senior high school are air-conditioned, but the older junior high school quarters are not.