As Southern California braces for high temperatures, 13 Long Beach schools with no air conditioning have resorted to opening windows and pulling out fans to help students deal with the heat.
“All we can do is use fans and hope for the best,” said Raven Wagner, a senior at Poly High School. “It’s pretty hot. We only have air conditioning in certain buildings, but other than that we just use fans and it’s still hot.”
Long Beach Unified, the fourth largest school district in the state, has been working since 2022 to put central air conditioning into all schools.
“Approximately 84% of our schools are fully air-conditioned. The remaining schools without air conditioning are either in the design or construction phase,” wrote a Long Beach Unified spokesperson in a statement to NBC4.
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The 13 schools are Tucker Elementary, Henry Elementary, Carver Elementary, Los Cerritos Elementary, Gant Elementary, Tincher Preparatory; Stanford Middle, Hoover Middle, Marshall Middle, Washington Middle; and Poly High, Sato High and Millikan High School..
The district said each school has window coverings, classroom fans and reflective window tinting. The school district has also added new water fountains and filling stations across the district.
“It’s necessary, you can’t live without air conditioning,” says Irma Soto, a mother whose kids went to Poly High. “The heat is so bad, it makes it hard for kids to concentrate.”
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Long Beach Unified School District is in the middle of a multi-year plan to install central air at all of its schools by 2027.
The state of California doesn’t require air conditioning in schools.
For now, the school district has also built shade structures for students when they are outside for recreation. Recesses and lunch activities are modified during high temperatures, according to the school district.
“Ensuring student health and safety is our highest priority. We also want to emphasize the importance of learning while ensuring our students are safe and comfortable,” wrote a Long Beach Unified Spokesperson.
