New England school closures, early dismissals today

With some pretty intense heat settling into New England just as students all over the region return to the classrooms, some school districts are resorting to canceling class and dismissing early to keep everyone safe.

In Massachusetts, there were a handful of districts reporting early dismissals or cancellations on Thursday morning, including Worcester Public Schools, which would be letting out early on Thursday, and Lowell Public Schools, which would be closed on Thursday and Friday.

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Officials said the district is in a much better place than last year, thanks to improved staffing.

In Connecticut, there were many more districts planning early dismissals amid the heat.

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Providence Public Schools, meanwhile, announced that many of its schools will close Thursday.

A full regionwide list of school cancellations and closings may be found here.

Thursday marks the first day back for students at Boston Public Schools, and officials addressed heat concerns during their news conference on Wednesday.

Students at Boston Public Schools will head back to class Thursday.

District Superintendent Mary Skipper said that nearly 3,000 air conditioners have been rolled out since last year, and most buildings are covered. The 14 or so buildings that can't handle the ACs due to electrical limitations, fans are being used.

Mayor Michelle Wu chimed in to say that bigger picture planning is ongoing, as the warm months gradually stretches into both ends of the school year as the climate changes in the city, and many of the school buildings continue to exhibit their age.

The pair also held a news conference on Thursday to talk about the first day back.

"We’re so excited," Skipper said. "First day of school and everything is looking great. We have plenty of bus drivers, every single yard has bus drivers, monitors are all in full force."

Skipper said all of the students she spoke with were appreciative and wanted to understand what their options were to get back involved.

Wu said that the district is much better positioned at the start of this year, compared to last.

"There's always an unexpected challenge and today that is the heat, but we are feeling very prepared and it is unfortunately the reality of hotter hotter weather in New England," Wu said.

According to a report done by the Environmental Protection Agency, the best temperature for optimal learning is below 72 degrees.