Heating Failures Force Some Philadelphia Schools Online While Others Remain Chilly
Persistent infrastructure failures and extreme winter weather have once again disrupted education in Philadelphia, forcing some schools to shift to virtual learning while students in other buildings endure frigid classrooms. The Philadelphia School District confirmed that Furness High School in South Philadelphia moved to virtual instruction, and Farrell Elementary in the Northeast closed early as facilities struggled to cope with the drop in temperatures following a recent snowstorm.
Reports from inside the schools describe a difficult environment for learning. Teachers and union representatives have shared photographs of classroom thermostats reading as low as 49 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At Vare-Washington Elementary, burst pipes reportedly caused significant flooding, rendering six classrooms and the cafeteria unusable. In other buildings, students and staff have been observed wearing heavy winter coats and hats indoors throughout the school day to stay warm.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) has criticized the decision to keep buildings open under these conditions. Union President Arthur Steinberg described the situation as unsafe, stating that the conditions were “not ripe” for a safe return and urging a temporary shift to remote learning for affected sites. Steinberg highlighted that attempting to learn in near-freezing classrooms is ineffective and that the commute itself remained hazardous due to lingering ice and snow.
In response to the mounting complaints, the School District of Philadelphia maintains that it is addressing issues as they arise. District officials stated that maintenance teams are working around the clock to repair broken boilers, restore power, and fix burst pipes. A district spokesperson emphasized their goal to keep schools open for in-person learning to support student achievement, noting that heating issues at locations like Vare-Washington were being actively repaired and that power had been restored to heating systems at Penrose Elementary.
The current crisis highlights long-standing structural issues within the district. The average age of a Philadelphia public school building is approximately 75 years, and the district faces an estimated multibillion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog. Aging HVAC systems and outdated insulation make the buildings particularly vulnerable to extreme weather swings, leading to a recurring cycle where students face sweltering heat in the early fall and shivering cold in the winter.
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