As a school teacher, I contend our public and parochial schools should have been either closed or dismissed for a half-day during the recent heat wave. There were schools in New Jersey and on Long Island that closed either for a full day or a half-day and also cancelled after-school outdoor activities because of the excessive heat and humidity.
It is a disgrace that the heads of the city Department of Education and Catholic schools in the Brooklyn, New York and Rockville Centre dioceses did not have the common sense to see that the heat wave would and did cause problems for those working in and attending school.
It certainly should have been taken into consideration, given the fact that the classrooms were at least 90 degrees or higher. Teaching and student learning were next to impossible during this first heatwave.
A little more compassion would be nice on the part of the heads of our educational institutions.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
