Just weeks into the school year, hundreds of schools in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and elsewhere closed up shop or moved to remote learning. This time the culprit isn’t a resurgence of COVID-19; it’s record-high temperatures and struggling (or non-existent) HVAC systems.
The New School Closures
Despite getting millions in pandemic aid, not all schools are equipped to stay open.

Work crews lift a new AC unit onto the roof of Charlie Marshall Elementary School in Port Aransas, Texas, on September 14, 2017. (Photo by Mark Sobhani / for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Work crews lift a new AC unit onto the roof of Charlie Marshall Elementary School in Port Aransas, Texas, on September 14, 2017. (Photo by Mark Sobhani / for The Washington Post via Getty Images)



