1

Benchmark - Adverse Situations

Tate Drane

Grand Canyon University

EAD-536-O500 Strategic Leadership and Management in the Principalship

Dr. Carlson

7/27/22
 2

Benchmark - Adverse Situations

Management and Operational Systems

Heat is something that is difficult to gauge when it comes to the safety of our students

and staff. Every school has different resources that they can access including the ability to have

air conditioning for the warmer months of the school year. The big decision that needs to be

made is if it is safe enough for our students to continue their education for that day, or do we

need to send students home since we cannot provide a quality learning environment as their well-

being is in question. PSEL Standard 5A states, “Build and maintain a safe, caring, and healthy

school environment that meets those the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of each

student” (National Policy Board for Educational Administration, 2015). This means that we must

be able to provide an environment that is physically safe for our students along with ideal

learning conditions.

This decision of whether we can continue instruction for the day is not a light decision.

There is a lot that needs to be factored into this including accessing the resources we may have to

better the situation. We would need to know if the air conditioning is a possible fix along with

who and when this can be done. I would also need to know how many fans that we have within

the building to provide air flow for our students, and if there is additional water bottles to provide

to students who may not have one. The last additional information needed would be to make sure

that we are within the law for either decision of making students go home or continuing on.

Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources

Without immediately interrupting instruction, we would send out a form that ask a few

questions about their classroom environment. This would be sent via email with an
 3

announcement made for teachers to look at their email within the hour. These questions would

include how hot it may be in their room and what resources do they have to cooling the room of

such as fans. We also want to know how the students are doing, “Dizziness, dehydration,

difficulty breathing are some of the more serious concerns. Lack of concentration, eyes glazed

over are others. Nausea, headaches and irritability. Adolescent sweat glands on overdrive can

make stuffy rooms even more uncomfortable as perspiration smells overtake rooms” (Frenette,

2022). In theory, this small report will help evaluate the decision with as much data possible.

For the decision of going home, we would need to email staff directions of helping

students gather their things and have them hang out in their current classroom until their

bus/parent is announced and is ready to pick them up. Automatic phone dialer and emails will

need to be sent to student’s primary contact information for them to know that students are

heading home. This can be difficult and for students who have to stay longer than others will

receive access to fans and water. Keeping students spread apart will help keep the temperature

down and we don’t have students waiting outside for busses and parent pick-ups.

If we keep students in the building, we must have an action plan that we can execute to

lower temperatures for students. Making an announcement about the extreme temperatures and

the importance of hydration would need to happen so that students understand the situation. This

would also be the time for us to distribute water bottles to anyone who didn’t. Our teachers

would consistently remind students to stay hydrated throughout the next few hours of school left.

Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff

Many states don’t have a maximum temperature regulation for districts or schools.

Districts do have the ability to establish a maximum temperature, however, many districts don’t
 4

have one (Walker, 2018). There have been many cases where schools have pushed on regardless

of the temperatures within classrooms and how it effects students’ learning. Air conditioning

units are also not a requirement in most schools as they rely on fans and other accommodations

the school can provide.

According to Managing Extreme Heat Recommendations for Schools Guidance

Document, our school needs to make sure that we are adapting everything in our power to

manage the heat. This includes physical separation, window covering acting as shade, add

additional water breaks for students, and provide things such as misters or ice where possible

(Managing Extreme Heat Recommendations for Schools Guidance Document: Pilot Version,

2021). To end school early, the district must be included in this decision as they can also help

distribute information to our families and communities.

Collaboration with Faculty and Community

When considering these options, whether to close school or continue with the rising

temperatures, the district needs to be included. Having the teachers fill out the short form allows

them an opportunity to have a voice about the current situation. This data can be used when

talking with district level employees about the right decision that best our students and staff’s

well-being.

Everyone is affected with this decision as the students, staff, administration, district,

families, and community members. Staff’s obligation to students is keeping them safe while

presenting them quality instruction. Students have to overcome adversity to continue learning

regardless of the decision. Families might have to be expected to get their student(s) out of

school in the middle of the day. This can be inconvenient which means we need to have a plan in
 5

place for students who don’t ride the bus but may have to wait longer than other students for

their parents to pick them up.

Solution and Rationale

When I address the district about our situation at Sunset Hills, I will have 2 solutions to

propose and discuss along with data from our teachers about the environment in the classroom.

The first solution would be announcing that our school temperatures are providing a difficult

learning environment and we want to do what is best for our student’s well-being. This means

shutting down the school early for the day with the intention of remote learning until the

temperature drop from either the weather or air conditioning is fixed. The second solution would

be using all of our resources to lower the temperature in our classroom such as fans in all rooms,

water bottles to students, ice packs for students, and build in more breaks for the last few hours.

Any student who is feeling any symptoms of heat exhaustion will be able to have access to our

school nurse immediately. Parents will be able to have the option to pull their student early if

they choose to.

Solution 1

Action Steps Timeline

Email staff about environment Immediately after walking hallways with

concerns

Discuss with district about shutdown Immediately after gathering data and talking

with administration team with solutions

Email staff about decision They should know what is about to happen

first so that they can prepare

 6

Email and call parents Inform everyone about the situation and what

is happening to evacuate the school after

email to staff

Teachers help release students As buses arrive, allow students to leave their

classrooms, as parents arrive allow them to

leave as well. This will take time! We will

move fans to areas that are vacant to help

those who are still there

Send out information Send another email and newsletter home

informing everyone that we will be remote

until the issue is fixed. This occurs after

everyone is vacated from the building

Rationale

This solution protects the welfare and safety of students and staff by removing them from

the unsafe environment. There is a loss of instruction time that may need to be made up

depending on how many minutes our students need to complete the year under the Arizona state

requirements. This is why we will proceed with remote instruction until our school is a safe

learning environment.

Solution 2

Action Steps Timeline

Email staff about environment Immediately after walking hallways with

concerns

Discuss with district about shutdown Immediately after gathering data and talking
 7

with administration team with solutions

Email staff about decision They should know what is about to happen

first so that they know what is about to

change in their classrooms

Email and call parents Inform everyone about the situation and what

is happening with the school after email to

staff. This includes an option if they would

like to pull their student early

Teachers help gather resources As supplies are distribute, teachers will ensure

that their students have everything they need

to be safe for the rest of the day (fan, water,

and ice). This will take time but needs to

happen as fast as possible, teachers will need

to help where they can.

Send out information Send another email and newsletter home

informing everyone about the heat wave and

hopefully an air conditioning update. Also

make sure that their student is returning with

water bottles

Rationale

The welfare and safety of students and staff is being protected in this solution by

providing additional resources for our students to cool off and still maximize their learning of

instruction. We must accommodate to our students and staff by providing these additional
 8

resources and strategies to reduce the heat. Families of our students will be informed of all the

actions that are taken place to protect the welfare of their student. This includes the option to

pick up their student early if they feel that is best for them.
 9

References

Department of Public Health and Environment Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2022, from

https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/GenerateRulePdf.do?

ruleVersionId=9718&fileName=6%20CCR%201011-1%20Chapter%2002

(Department of Public Health and Environment Standards)

Frenette, L. (2022, May 10). Classroom heat: Take action and tell us your classroom heat story.

NYSUT. Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://www.nysut.org/news/2019/may/your-

classroom-heat-stories (Frenette, 2022)

Managing Extreme Heat Recommendations for Schools Guidance Document: Pilot Version

(2021). Arizona. Department of Health Services, Office of Environmental Health,

Climate and Health Program

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author

Walker, T. (2018). The heat is on: Educators, students forced to deal with sweltering classrooms.

NEA. Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-

from-nea/heat-educators-students-forced-deal-sweltering-classrooms (Walker, 2018)