PHOENIX — Students across the Valley are returning to the classroom, and Arizona students have no choice but to deal with Arizona's extreme heat.
Chandler Unified School District is one of the first in our area to return to school in July which means they know they must prepare for the heat.
The district said they follow the Arizona Department of Health Services Heat Index Guidelines.
“We check the temperature for the day, and then look at the relative humidity. And there's a guideline that tells us like, you know, the different levels of how long it's safe to be outside and precautions to take for the kids, if they are going to be outside for any length of time,” said Director of Health Service Lyndsay Hartley.
On the days when it's just too hot, teachers have to get creative — especially with no outdoor recess.
“Starting school in July, you kind of have to be prepared about those indoor options. They love to play things as a class altogether or games in small groups,” Julieta Apalategui, a 5th-grade Dual Language Immersion and Spanish teacher, said.
Teachers will choose from a variety of options like getting outside earlier, or showing movies, allowing free time, games or some instances, even having a dance break.
The other key for keeping students safe and hydrated is reminding everyone to make use of their water bottles, or grab a cup if they need one, and drink up.
“They all bring their bottles. We encourage them to bring a refillable one because we do have refillable stations around the school,” said Apalategui.
12News reached out to other districts, too. They all say they monitor the temperatures and indexes daily. They stress student safety is their top priority as staff watches for signs of heat illness.
Deer Valley Unified School District nurses suggest students freeze water bottles, dress in layers, wear sunscreen, and stay inside during the hottest times to stay cool.
PV Schools said they make sure they add water breaks every 15 minutes during sports practices, and they cut down equipment or practice time in extreme heat.
Classes in Dysart Schools begin Thursday and they said all of their buses have air conditioning on them.
Happy back to school for all Arizona students from 12News!
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