In Rantoul, Illinois, students won’t have to suffer when the mercury rises for much longer. By 2011, all non-air-conditioned classrooms will be fitted with cooling systems. The problem is currently so severe that students are sent home when the temperature rises, as was the case this week when students attending summer school at Broadmeadow Elementary School were sent home on Wednesday.

Superintendent Bill Trankina is looking forward to the day when early dismissals due to heat will be a distant memory. According to Trankina, between 150 and 160 students are taking part in summer school classes through the July 4 weekend at Broadmeadow Elementary School. None of the elementary schools in the city of Rantoul have air conditioning, and only a few classrooms at J.W. Eater Junior High School have air conditioning.

“When the weather turned really hot, we felt it would be prudent to dismiss the students at 12:30 p.m. (Wednesday),” Trankina said. “Not only was the temperature high, but the heat index was also high.” Summer classes generally run until 2 pm, but Trankina and other school officials decide each day whether it will be too hot for students to attend school.

With the recent approval of a Champaign County sales tax for local schools, funding is now being raised to purchase and install air conditioners. The school district plans to spend $12.5 million to $13.5 million on the building improvement project, which will cover the four elementary schools and the junior high school. In addition to the air conditioners, new windows will be installed, and thermal asbestos will be removed from the walls. Asbestos is a carcinogen that may cause lung cancer or mesothelioma cancer.

The problem of asbestos materials in aging US school buildings is nothing new - but due to the generally high cost of asbestos abatement and the replacement of asbestos materials, like floor or ceiling tiles or insulation, school districts often delay asbestos removal for as long as possible due to budget constraints.

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