MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Public Schools closed all schools Wednesday because of excessive heat, turning the second day of classes into an unexpected day off for students.
For parents, that meant scrambling to adjust work schedules and figure out what to do with their kids.
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Ashley Wright, a mother of four with children in three different schools, said the closure was frustrating.
“Second day of classes, it makes no sense,” Wright said. “We have to figure out what we’re going to do today. The pools aren’t open anymore. There’s not a lot of places to go, and you have a lot of parents that are on assistance, so where are they supposed to go without funds?”
Wright said the disruption can be especially difficult for children who rely on consistent routines.
“These kids need structure and scheduling,” Wright said. “So when you take it away, it throws off behavior.”
Mariah Johnson, who has two children in MPS, said she was ready to return to her normal work routine after spending the summer with her kids.
“Did a little scrambling,” Johnson said. “Been home with my kids all summer, so was really on the mindset that today is on me, gotta hit the ground running.”
Johnson instead brought her children to the Wauwatosa Public Library, one of several cooling sites across the county.
“My kids are sitting across from me while I’m doing work emails and they’re reading books,” Johnson said.
The heat has also raised concerns about classroom conditions.
MPS officials say only about 25% of classrooms across the district currently have air conditioning, while district leaders cite aging infrastructure and funding challenges as major obstacles to expanding access to cooling.
District data shows about 15% of elementary and middle school classrooms have air conditioning, compared with about 37% of high school classrooms.
MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has acknowledged air conditioning is an issue, noting the district's buildings are about 85 years old on average.
“I understand these schools are old. My biggest thing is, is it hot outside? Yes. But yesterday was even hotter, and we went to school,” Johnson said.
Today's Forecast
Summerlike heat continues with storm chances into Friday
Not every MPS family was affected by the closure.
Hilary Reese spent the morning at the splash pad at Emigh Playfield with her children. Her child attends MPS Parkside School of the Arts but has a staggered start date.
“Just hanging out at the park, enjoying the splash pad, taking it easy, getting ready for first day,” Reese said.
The district said it monitors conditions and follows heat-related procedures during extreme temperatures.
Temperatures were expected to reach the upper 80s and lower 90s Wednesday, with heat index values between 95 and 100 degrees, according to TMJ4 meteorologists.
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