User:MjohnsUH/Hawaii's Overheated Classrooms

Hawaii's public schools are infamously hot as they lack air conditioning in a climate that is humid and can reach over 95°F. This results in teachers reporting that they its makes it difficult to teach as they lose focus often and its too distracting for it to be an educational environment. Other symptoms that many students end up suffering from are nausea, headaches, and heat rash.

Reasons for High Temperatures
It is well known that the majority of classrooms in Hawaii do not have air conditioning. There are multiple reasons for the lack of air conditioning, with the main one being the cost. But there are other things besides just the air conditioning unit itself that comprise the total cost of air conditioning a classroom. One of the major problems with Hawaiian public schools are the lack of infrastructure. Most Hawaiian public schools would not be able to power the air conditioning units even if they had them because of the relatively weak power grid, given the poor infrastructure. One example of this is given by Alison G. Kwok, a Ph.D. researcher at The University of Oregon, who states in their study "Thermal Comfort in Tropical Classrooms" that twenty-five percent of all energy in developed schools is used for indoor temperature control. So while the schools are already struggling with the older infrastructure and power grid, they are not able to also support introducing a whole new strain on their electrical capabilities. Another reason for the high temperatures are the architecture of the classrooms not being used to most effectively cool the schools. When current buildings are being in Hawaii, the architects take in account the trade winds in which way they are going and the most effective placement of the buildings. Many of the older schools did not have this taken into account when they were being built and hence many of the older schools in Hawaii are built cinder blocks and little ventilation for the wind to naturally cool the buildings.

Effects on Education
It is understood that the high temperatures of the classrooms are having detrimental effects on the students. A study by Dennis M. Vespe, a professor at Rowan University, proved that the common belief of being able to overcome an uncomfortable environment in the pursuit of learning is something that only few students were able to accomplish. As he stated in the study, " Disregarding the improvement of the learning environment is totally ignoring the physical difficulties of learning.” The study showed that higher temperatures and increased humidity in the classrooms affected the students' learning abilities greatly by giving them physiological and psychological stress. The teachers at the schools also claimed that out of all of the elements of the classroom, " the thermal environment is the most important of all, especially in a school plant when there is no air-conditioning." Another study conducted by the New York Academy of Sciences found that when air conditioning half of the classrooms in a school and having no air conditioning for the other half, the half of the school with air conditioning showed an average work increase 9.5%. This study was critical at its time as it proved that importance of the thermal environment of schools, and the direct impact that air conditioning can have on a students performance. The State Legislature looks at this and continues on the idea that classes should be cooled to suitable temperatures to enable the ideal work conditions for the students. The State legislature also found that whenever a classroom temperature surpasses eighty degrees, it can lead to the students' reduced performance on tests and reduced concentration in class.

Health Risks
It was found by the Hawaii state legislature that the temperatures in Hawaii's public schools can negatively affect students by making the students them unmotivated and drowsy. According to the Hawaii State Legislature, "Hawaii's overheated classrooms also cause students to suffer headaches, nausea, and heat rashes." With many students reporting that they feel nauseous at the end of the day and with younger students coming home with heat rash on their faces, their is urgent need for air conditioning in schools. Overheating is also not unheard of in Hawaiian schools with several teachers and students being sent to the ER due to heat exhaustion.

Proposed Solutions
In early 2019, Hawaii House Bill 247 was introduced into the Hawaii State Legislature and passed in Late 2019. The Bill addressed the problem of classrooms being to hot to focus and other detrimental effects with the students and teachers. Their solution is to start installing AC in the hottest schools in Hawaii first and then continue until all classrooms have AC. Now there are other financial problems with this plan such as the energy grids of many of the schools having to be reworked due to many of Hawaii's classrooms being old and outdated. Another concern with this problem is that many of the classrooms were not made with the expectation of AC being installed and would have to be reworked for the AC to be efficient and cost effective. There are other solutions besides AC that could also help with cooling classrooms such as roof coating systems. A roof coating system is a coat of paint that is comprised of a heat reflective fluid which can reduce the temperature of the building by sometimes up to five degrees. More expensive roof coating systems can be more effective, but are more costly as they comprise of multiple coats of the heat reflective fluid and additional layers of insulation in the roof itself. Another cheap solution that some schools are adopting are to convert to skylights. It is an alternative to normal lighting and reduces the temperature of the classrooms by removing the excessive heat caused by the lights in the classrooms. It also saves on electricity by removing the cost of needing to have lights on all day. Though the solution that improves the thermal environment of the classroom by the greatest degree is an air conditioner and will continue to be the goal for every classroom.