Students could face a school holiday as Ohio heat index nears 102°F — but whether classes are canceled depends on one crucial building feature

The heat may look the same outside, but conditions inside Ohio classrooms are telling a very different story.

As a heat advisory takes effect and the heat index is expected to approach 102 degrees, several schools in Avon Lake are closing Wednesday. Yet other schools in the same district will continue operating as usual.

The difference comes down to something many students may take for granted: air conditioning.


Avon Lake City Schools is among more than 60 local schools that had announced Wednesday class cancellations by Tuesday night, according to a Fox 8 report. But the district's decision is not a blanket closure. Schools with functioning air-conditioning systems will remain open, while several older buildings without cooling will shut their doors.

That split offers a glimpse into a growing challenge for school districts: how to keep aging buildings safe when extreme heat arrives.

The same heat wave, two very different school days

Three Avon Lake elementary schools — Redwood, Eastview and Westview — along with Learwood Middle School, will be closed Wednesday.

All four buildings are older and do not have air conditioning.

Avon Lake Superintendent Joelle Magyar explained that the temperature inside these buildings can climb well above the outdoor reading. The cinder block construction absorbs and holds heat, making classrooms increasingly uncomfortable as the day progresses.

That means an outdoor temperature in the upper 80s does not necessarily translate into an upper-80s classroom.

With the heat index forecast to reach roughly 102 degrees, administrators determined that keeping students and staff in those buildings for a full school day could create an unsafe environment.

By contrast, Avon Lake High School and Troy Intermediate School are equipped with air conditioning and are expected to remain open.

The distinction is important: the district is not closing schools simply because temperatures are high. It is responding to the conditions students are likely to encounter inside individual buildings.

Why indoor heat is becoming a school safety issue

A hot classroom can quickly become more than an inconvenience.

Students who are overheated may struggle to concentrate, become tired or lethargic and have difficulty participating in lessons. Teachers also face the challenge of maintaining a productive classroom when temperatures and humidity remain elevated for hours.

There are additional concerns for children with certain health conditions.

Magyar specifically noted that heat and humidity can aggravate asthma symptoms for some students. For children who are already vulnerable to excessive heat, spending several hours inside a poorly cooled building could carry greater risks.

The issue therefore becomes a balance between keeping schools open and ensuring that the environment inside them remains suitable for learning.

Why air conditioning is deciding who goes to school

The Avon Lake situation creates an unusual contrast.

Two schools can be located in the same community, experience exactly the same weather and follow the same academic calendar — yet one can remain open while the other closes.

The deciding factor can be the building itself.

Modern or renovated schools with air conditioning have a way to control indoor temperatures that older facilities may lack. In buildings without cooling, administrators have fewer options once heat begins accumulating inside classrooms.

This is why school closures during extreme heat are increasingly tied to infrastructure as much as weather forecasts.

The question is no longer simply whether it is hot outside. School officials must consider whether students can safely spend six or seven hours inside the building.

Avon Lake already has a long-term fix in motion

The district does not intend for the current situation to continue indefinitely.

A bond issue and levy approved in 2024 are funding renovations to older Avon Lake school buildings. One of the planned improvements is the installation of air conditioning.

For administrators, that work could eventually eliminate one of the biggest reasons for heat-related closures.

Until the upgrades are completed, however, officials have to make decisions based on the buildings as they exist today.

That means unusually hot days could continue to create a divide between schools that can be cooled and those that cannot.

What about saving calamity days for winter?

The decision to cancel classes during extreme summer heat also raises another question for parents: should districts preserve calamity days for the winter months, when snow and dangerous road conditions can cause closures?

For Avon Lake officials, student safety comes first.

Magyar said administrators do not want to keep a school open in potentially unsafe conditions simply because they are concerned about using a closure day early in the academic year.

The philosophy is straightforward: if a building becomes unsafe because of extreme weather, the calendar cannot be the only consideration.

Parents may see the difference differently

Heat-related school closures can sometimes leave parents wondering whether temperatures are severe enough to justify keeping children home.

Avon Lake administrators acknowledge that skepticism exists.

But district officials argue that the experience is different for someone spending several minutes outside compared with a child sitting inside a hot classroom for most of the school day.

Teachers may spend around eight hours in the building, while students can remain there for six-and-a-half to seven hours.

For families who have not experienced those conditions firsthand, a closure may appear excessive. For those inside the buildings, the decision can look very different.

The Bigger question for Ohio schools

The Avon Lake closures highlight a problem that extends beyond one Wednesday or one school district.

Older school buildings can become increasingly difficult to operate when extreme heat pushes temperatures beyond what traditional ventilation systems can comfortably handle. Renovations and air-conditioning projects can take years and require significant public investment.

Until that work is finished, districts must continue making difficult choices when severe weather arrives.

For Avon Lake, Wednesday's closures are therefore about more than a single heat advisory. They show how the age and design of a school building can determine whether students walk through the doors or stay home.

And as the district works to install air conditioning in its older schools, administrators are hoping that future heat waves will no longer force them to make the same choice.