As summer weather hits the region and temperatures soar, thousands of students and hundreds of staff are struggling in unsafe working and learning conditions in New Haven Public Schools. This is an annual problem for NHPS and we have reached a point where we must demand accountability to ensure our schools, our students, and our staff are safe. Just this week, classrooms in at least 20 schools have reached temperatures in the 80s and we still have over a month of school remaining before our last day on June 23.

It is for these reasons that we call on Dr. Negrón, Mayor Elicker and the Board of Education to do the following:

1. Establish a maximum safe temperature for classrooms and schools in New Haven

2. Create and post a publicly accessible spreadsheet that outlines the status of each school building's HVAC system, as well as timelines for repairs, maintenance, and other relevant updates.

3. Increase capital funding for HVAC repairs and prioritize a more sustainable source of funding for HVAC maintenance to ensure that our schools, our students, and our staff are safe.

We understand that limited financial resources can complicate the ongoing maintenance of HVAC systems. This is why NHFT and our coalition partners continue to advocate for increased funding from the city and state for our schools. We also continue to demand that both the ultrawealthy in Connecticut and Yale University pay what they owe to take the burden off of New Haven residents who pay a disproportionate share of their income on local property taxes. In the short term, we call on our school and city leaders to ensure more funding gets to this priority area.