Pueblo Schools Contend With Overheated Classrooms

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) - Pueblo City Schools will consider modifying the school calendar to avoid having students and teachers work in overheated classrooms like they have this month.

The Pueblo Chieftain reported Monday that the city's temperature hit 100 degrees on Aug. 23, the first day of school, and reached 101 the next day.

District spokesman Gregg Sinn says about half of the district's 3 million square feet is air conditioned. He says it would cost about $70 million to air-condition the rest, and that would require voters to approve a bond issue.

To help compensate for the heat in schools without air conditioning, the district relaxed the dress code, opened exterior doors, brought in bottled water and granted excused absences if parents kept their students home because of the heat.

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