Heat wave shortens the start of school

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The new school year is off to a hot start.

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, Charles City students hopped off the bus for the first time of the 2023/24 school year.

“The students are happy to be back in school and we are happy to have them,” said Superintendent Dr. Anne Lundquist.

It will be a big year of changes for the district, with three of the four buildings under the supervision of new principals and the Lincoln Elementary building now hosting the district’s second grade class. The first day of school was spent getting both teachers and students accustomed to the new routine.

“The transition went very well,” said Lundquist.

But whether students were coming back to a new environment or the same old routine, the one thing on everybody’s mind was how to beat the heat.

Due to an extreme heat wave across the state, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, this year’s schedule has gotten off to an abbreviated start.

In the days before school started, Director of Operations Jerry Mitchell and his staff studied the heat and humidity levels in the various buildings to assess whether or not school could be held and how long the day could run before it got too hot.

While Washington Elementary and the middle school building are fully air-conditioned, and Lincoln Elementary is mostly air-conditioned with a combination of central air and window units, there is no air conditioning in the high school building.

“Our high school is very uncomfortable,” said Lundquist.

The installation of a new HVAC system in the high school is part of the district’s plans for a major renovation of the building, which would require an affirmative vote of a bond referendum in this year’s November election.

In the meantime, the district is doing its best to keep students cool both inside the building and out. As the school’s buses are not air-conditioned either, the school has coordinated with Fareway and Hy-Vee to provide bottled water for the kids during their routes.

Ultimately, it was decided to let school out three hours early on Wednesday and Thursday, giving students some class time to ease back into the school schedule and making sure kids have the opportunity to have both breakfast and lunch before sending them home.

“It gave, especially the younger children, a chance to grasp some of the new routines,” said Lundquist.

Expecting that the heat advisory will be lifted by Friday, Lundquist is planning for Friday to be the school’s first full day.