Should I send my kid to school in a heat wave? Many parents don't have a choice

Temperatures are scorching. Classrooms are sweltering. And among parents, a popular topic of conversation: should I send my kids to school?

Health experts have repeatedly cautioned that children are more sensitive to extreme heat, and with most schools facing cooling problems, some parents opt to keep their children home on sweltering days. Some teachers even unofficially suggest it, noting in online forums there's little they can do to keep kids comfortable in classrooms that aren't air conditioned.

But for many parents, it's not an option.

"I'm definitely worried about them," said Ottawa mom Katie Gibbs about her children.

When temperatures in Ottawa Monday soared to 35 C (46 with the humidex), Gibbs kept Ben, 9, and Ellie, 5, home from school. She and her husband have hybrid work models, so with some flexibility and a little time off, Gibbs said she was able to manage it for the day — although it "was not ideal." 

But with busier workdays Tuesday, Gibbs, 41, says she and her husband had no choice but to send the kids to their school in central Ottawa, where she says the principal's office and library are air conditioned, but little else. And her son is in a portable — which is supposed to be air conditioned, she said, but the unit is broken.

"It's literally an oven. It's so hot," Gibbs told CBC News.

"I can't imagine that there's possibly any learning going on in that kind of environment, and there's the real risk for harm."

A heat dome lingering over much of Ontario and Quebec has caused temperatures to soar into the 30s and humidex values to rise into the 40s — drawing renewed attention to the cooling challenges faced by schools.

By Tuesday, Environment Canada had issued extreme heat alerts for a swath of cities as far west as Sault St. Marie, Ont., all the way down to Windsor, Ont., across the GTA and east to Ottawa, and into Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke, Que.

Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal are expecting daytime highs of 30 to 35 C, with humidex values of 40 to 45, according to Environment Canada. Much of Nova Scotia was under a heat advisory, as well, with the temperature in Halifax expected to reach 31 C Tuesday with a humidex near 40.

Although Quebec's English school boards wrapped up their year on Friday, French boards decided to extend into this week due to snow-day closures last winter. Given the extreme heat predicted for the next few days, however, "If schools need to be closed, do it," Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville said on social media on Sunday.

On Monday, several Quebec boards announced schools would be closed due to extreme heat. (Tuesday was a national holiday in the province).

The Toronto District School Board warned Sunday that, as many of its schools are only partially air conditioned or have none at all, "the extreme heat will result in uncomfortable conditions." The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board noted on its website that "extreme heat can create challenging learning and working conditions for students and staff."