Puerto Rico’s public schools clamor for air conditioning to get relief from record-breaking heat

Students and teachers are sweltering in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning and are demanding government action as the U.S. Caribbean territory struggles to respond to climate change effects while it bakes under record heat this year. Two months ago was the hottest August on the island since record-keeping began. Puerto Rico broke the record of the daily maximum temperature six times and the highest minimum eight times, according to the National Weather Service in San Juan. Public schools with no air conditioning or whose cooling systems are inoperable due to power outages blamed on a hurricane-battered electric grid are seeking relief, but it’s unlikely they’ll find it soon. In August, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi quietly vetoed a bill that called for air conditioning systems for public schools. The move outraged many, with some calling the situation inhumane as students organized protests. “It’s irresponsible because this is an emergency. It’s a matter of public health,” said Yasim Sarkis, a social worker at an elementary school that often lacks electricity and whose son attends a public high school with no air conditioning. Air conditioning is considered a necessity by many on this tropical island of 3.2 million people, with government offices, businesses, and homes running cooling systems round-the-clock, especially in the summer. But air conditioning remains rare at public schools, which depend on fans and trade winds that blow through windows with metal shutters. “Our classrooms have turned into saunas, and the Department of Education has dragged its feet on responding to the situation,” said Edwin Morales, vice president of the island’s Federation of Teachers. It's unknown how many public schools lack air conditioning or have air conditioners that don't work because of electrical problems. The island's education department, an oft-criticized bureaucratic behemoth that oversees one of the largest school districts in a U.S. jurisdiction with more than 259,000 students and more than 850 schools, said it's trying to gather that data. This article was provided by The Associated Press.