Unfortunately, there are currently no temperature guidelines requiring schools to use air conditioning, though the union has been pushing for them for some time. There is no regulation mandating an upper temperature limit, only comfort guidelines.
The UFT will address temperature complaints on a case-by-case basis with the DOE Division of School Facilities. Members who want to file a complaint should keep a log of the room temperature and also provide specific information including:
- Are the rooms in question interior rooms whose only source of air is provided by a mechanical ventilation system? If so, is the mechanical ventilation system working?
- Are the rooms overcrowded?
- Are the rooms occupied by special needs students?
- What are the room temperatures?
City guidelines recommend city buildings (including schools) maintain their temperature settings on air conditioners at no lower than 78 degrees between May 24 and September 22. For more information, read the City of New York Cooling Season Guidelines.
If the situation has been caused by a broken central cooling system, notify the union's safety/health department and we will contact the Division of School Facilities to see if repairs are forthcoming.
Window units that are broken/malfunctioning/nonexistent have to be replaced or purchased by the principal within the school budget. First, a request to fix a broken or malfunctioning window unit may be done internally with the custodian engineer to see if they can troubleshoot the A/C unit issues. If it’s something the custodian cannot repair themselves, any replacement and/or repair of window units come out of the school’s budget. This also is dependent upon whether the school has the electrical capacity to handle the additional load for the units, and there is no requirement for principals to purchase or replace air conditioners.
Chapter Leaders can try to intervene, especially if there are students with medical needs or IEPs specifying an air conditioned room. Alternatively, schools can relocate students and staff from rooms with no air conditioning to an air conditioned public assembly areas (auditorium, gym or cafeterias) for all or some part of the day as well.
Also see our hot weather precaution guidance »