Two days before the start of the 2025–26 school year, parents in Poudre School District (PSD) were notified that most schools would dismiss students two hours early during the first and second days due to high August temperatures. As the heat wave persisted, the early release schedule was extended into the following week. This announcement led families to adjust their routines and required students and staff to avoid overheated classrooms, many of which lack air conditioning.
The Poudre Education Association’s (PEA) Heat Committee saw this as a sign that their efforts for safer classroom conditions were making progress. For several years, classrooms without air conditioning reached temperatures in the high 90s or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the last two school years, the Heat Committee advocated for PSD to adopt measures protecting students and staff from extreme heat.
Ahead of the 2023–24 school year, Sarah Vaughn, a middle school math teacher and leader of the committee, collected data using information from other districts and heat index charts to demonstrate how outdoor temperatures and humidity affected indoor environments. The research also highlighted issues such as the “heat island effect,” where urban areas retain more heat, and older building designs from previous decades that intensify warming.
Chris Fiero, a high school science teacher, said: “With many older school buildings lacking a/c and designed to trap heat, teachers are facing increasingly untenable working conditions.”
During that year, educators documented classroom thermometer readings with photos as evidence. “We had teachers sending us pictures of classroom thermometers hitting 100 degrees,” Sarah explained. “That made it impossible for the district to say this was just anecdotal.” Teachers reported interruptions in learning as well as health risks and behavioral challenges caused by excessive heat.
Fourth-grade teacher Kim Carlson stated: “Nobody’s healthy in extreme heat. Our youngest students couldn’t regulate their body temperature or their emotions. For kids in our autism program or ILS classrooms, it was unbearable.” Hannah Ball, a fifth-grade teacher at Laurel Elementary, recalled a student hospitalized multiple times due to hot classroom conditions: “When students are overheated and uncomfortable, they struggle to regulate, leading to more behavioral issues and less learning, through no fault of their own,” she said.
Temporary solutions provided by PSD included box fans—which were noisy but ineffective—and swamp coolers funded by mill levy revenue. These devices created new problems by increasing humidity or requiring frequent refilling by teachers throughout the day. Kim Carlson described these attempts: “Everything was wet. The kids still wanted it turned on because it was better than nothing, but it’s not a long-term solution.”
Amanda Baldwin, another fourth-grade teacher, shared that her classroom reached temperatures between 75–78°F with humidity levels at 61 percent while using swamp coolers: “You have to fill it twice a day if you run it constantly. It’s loud. And in some spaces, like gyms, you can’t use it at all because it damages the floor,” she said.
To keep attention on these issues throughout the year, PEA members wore red shirts and distributed campaign buttons at meetings as reminders of their advocacy efforts. Amanda explained: “We wore the buttons, we wore our red shirts to every meeting. We passed these buttons out to staff at the beginning of the year… We asked everyone to wear them until we had some action.” By February 2024, Sarah Vaughn and Kim Carlson testified before both chambers of Colorado’s legislature about how most PSD schools lacked air conditioning—a point that contributed momentum for statewide legislation addressing extreme classroom heat signed into law by Governor Jared Polis.
In response locally, PSD adopted new protocols: early release after three consecutive days reaching 90°F; automatic release when temperatures hit 95°F; with decisions based on National Weather Service and CDC data sources rather than anecdotal reports alone.
However, implementation has faced challenges since temperature readings used came from an area cooler than where most schools are located—resulting in some hot days not being officially recognized by district policy.
Candice Mozer—PEA President—commented: “It was so defeating before when classrooms were roasting but no heat day was called.” She added that ongoing advocacy is prompting changes within district leadership who now track facilities without air conditioning while evaluating potential upgrades: “They ask us to follow things with fidelity… Well they need to follow these protocols with fidelity too.”
Union members say they have already changed how extreme weather is handled within PSD but acknowledge work remains ahead—for both improved infrastructure solutions like air conditioning upgrades and clearer communication with families about expectations during future hot spells.
Amanda Baldwin reflected on progress made through collective action: “Meeting with board members and superintendent showed me our union can win real change… This all started with buttons and red shirts,” Sarah Vaughn added. “Now we have protocols…and a real plan for air conditioning.”
The efforts of PEA’s Heat Committee continue as educators seek safer learning environments across all PSD schools.
