Planning for Next Week's Heat Wave
Dear PPS community,
The current weather forecast for the greater Portland area predicts a high in the upper nineties today, with temperatures in triple digits over the weekend and into Wednesday of next week.
With summer programming just beginning, we are closely monitoring the forecast, the temperature inside our buildings, and local heat indexes to determine if we need to make any alterations to next week’s schedule.
Due to the July 4th holiday, a limited number of programs are running today. A few things to note:
There will be no academic programming in non-air conditioned buildings after 12 p.m. today.
Athletics will follow OSAA guidelines when making decisions about practices and activities.
Partners running childcare programs will use their discretion regarding a possible early release.
To keep our schools as cool as possible over the weekend, we will be taking the following steps:
In schools not equipped with air conditioning, school ventilation systems will operate from midnight to 6 a.m. nightly to help circulate as much cool air as possible. These systems will continue to operate over the weekend for maximum benefit.
Again, in schools that do not have AC, custodial staff will open all operable windows each morning (when and where it is safe to do so). All HVAC and portable HEPA units will continue to operate as programmed, adding to the regular air circulation in every learning space.
Since temperatures can vary widely across the city during heat waves, we will regularly consult with the National Weather Service and Multnomah County to track any potentially dangerous trends.
We will reach out again on Sunday with an update about next week’s summer programming. In the meantime, please stay safe.
Sincerely,
Dan Jung, Chief Operating Officer
Joe Crelier, Director of Risk Management