Murphy should mandate air conditioning for all New Jersey schools (Opinion)

Last Monday, the temperatures in many parts of New Jersey are 90 degrees and above. It's the kind of day where homeless people are sent into air-conditioned shelters. It's also the kind of day where many kids are sent into schools without air conditioning.

Some schools are going virtual to avoid sending the kids to school in this heat. As bad an idea as that has been all year, it's so hot that they really don't have a choice. Unless of course, New Jersey were to require air conditioning in all of its schools. Now that Governor Murphy has more mandate power, maybe he can use it to make this happen.

How can it be that in 2021 where every place including public restrooms seems to be air-conditioned, we still have New Jersey schools without them? In Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, according to NJ.com "only 3 of the 8 buildings where students attend classes are air-conditioned" according to Superintendent John J. Marciante, one of many who wrote to Governor Murphy regarding his mask mandate.

I ask again, How can an affluent area such as Manalapan-Englishtown not have all their schools air-conditioned?

Also in the nj.com article "Marciante said that voters in Manalapan-Englishtown Regional twice rejected plans to expand air-conditioning, most recently in 2018.

“Unfortunately, the community has twice voted down referendums to air-condition schools. We deal with what we have to deal with,” he said."

Who would vote against air-conditioning classrooms? I'm aware that there are some senior housing complexes in Manalapan-Englishtown but how could they possibly look their grandchildren in the face and force them to cover it with a mask in this heat? "Grandma loves you, but not enough to give your classroom air conditioning, here have a cookie"

As the battle over kids wearing masks in schools rages on, it's now heating up thanks to the weather. But whether or not we're talking about masks, there's no reason we should be sending kids to school in New Jersey during a heatwave. Do you really think they are learning anything as they sit and sweat?

For whatever reason, it's getting hotter earlier than it used to in New Jersey and staying hotter later into the fall. We could be talking about a month or so of excessive heat depending on the temperatures in June and September.

It's time we addressed this and as much as I oppose Murphy's mandates, this one I would agree with wholeheartedly.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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