Heat-free for upper grades: Lower Saxony reacts to the summer heat!

Heat-free for upper grades: Lower Saxony reacts to the summer heat!

The summer heat is causing problems for many people, and schools in Lower Saxony also have to react accordingly. From now on, high school students in Lower Saxony are now also allowed to get heat free. Previously, this only applied to primary schools and lower secondary schools, such as Delmenews reported.

The decision to allow heat-free classes for the upper classes is a reaction to the increasing extreme heat waves in the summer months. Education Minister Julia Willie Hamburg has emphasized that schools must first consider other cooling measures, such as using cooler rooms or providing water, before they can declare heat-free. This even applies to temperatures above 30 degrees, as there is no legal right to be heat-free like that NDR added.

Schools make decisions on a daily basis

The decision about heat-free is the responsibility of the school management. These must decide on the control on a daily basis, although no fixed outside temperatures are specified. This gives schools scope to react to specific conditions. However, vocational schools are excluded from this new regulation, which indicates a need for further negotiations. A hearing on this issue is still pending.

With the inclusion of the upper grades in the heat-free regulation, the Lower Saxony State Student Council has welcomed an important step that the student council had been calling for for a long time. Teachers and students find working in overheated classrooms extremely challenging. The positive effects of a heat-free control should therefore not be underestimated.

Measures against heat stress

In order to protect children and minimize health risks from heat, experts recommend adapting school operations during heat waves. According to the heat service, learning and break times should be adjusted to the temperature. Ventilating the rooms at night, taking regular drinking breaks and using shading also help to improve the indoor climate. Schools should also ensure that heat warnings and relevant information are passed on to parents and children, it said Heat service.

The challenge of arming school buildings against the summer heat is compounded by the fact that heat waves in Germany's northwest are now taking on Mediterranean characteristics. In cities like Osnabrück, heat protection plans are being developed that also consider structural measures to improve the school situation.

In summary, the new regulation is as necessary as it is welcome. It could help make the situation easier for students, teachers and the entire school environment. So summer can come, but not without the necessary sensitivity in implementation.