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The debate over starting Warsaw Community Schools earlier in August for the 1997-98 school year is heating up among parents whose children go to schools without air conditioning.
Leesburg Elementary parents and others from some of the eight schools that lack air conditioning initiated the debate after learning administrators want to move the start date up by two days.
The subject is on the agenda for Monday's school board meeting, but administration officials said Thursday that approval of the proposed calendar will probably be tabled until next month's meeting.
The Leesburg parents discovered that the proposed start date for students for the next school year is Aug. 19. Objecting to frequent classroom temperatures of over 90 degrees on hot August days, they said, they contacted the superintendent's office to ask how the school calendar is determined.
Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman said Thursday he met with parents at Leesburg on Tuesday to discuss the situation and to share information.
"We now have 180 days for students, and those extra days have to go somewhere," he said.
Some of the parents suggested starting the school year after Labor Day to avoid the hottest part of August, he said. However, starting later would make the school year end in June, he said, and June is often as hot as August. "There isn't a real significant difference in terms of temperatures," he said.
Other factors the calendar committee considered, Harman said, include an estimated $10 million to add air conditioning to the eight elementaries; secondary students who compete for jobs in the summer; and scheduling conflicts with summer camps, college orientations and sports.
Parents said the extreme heat was not conducive to learning, objected to the fact that no parents were included on the calendar committee, and contended that the committee had an over-representation of administrators and faculty from air-conditioned schools.
A Washington Elementary mother said her son had hives three times during the beginning of the 1995-96 school year when temperatures were over 100 degrees.
Other parents said their children were given water bottles to take home daily, but the water, plus fans and open windows, was still not enough on hot, humid days to keep the kids and teachers comfortable enough to concentrate on education.
The current school year began on Aug. 20. Temperatures the first week were consistently above 90 degrees, and for the rest of August were over 85 degrees.
