( NewsNation ) — Temperatures have been soaring due to climate change , leading more and more schools to push back start dates to avoid extreme summer heat for students.
Schools across the country — including in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Billings, Montana; and Philadelphia — have delayed the beginning of school past August and into September, reported Stateline .
“We see examples all over the country,” Karen White, deputy executive director of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the country, told the outlet.
“I think it’s only gotten worse,” she said.
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Many districts have moved up their start date in recent years, but now, with extreme heat, that is no longer safe, some teachers say.
According to White, climate change and the extreme temperatures it’s caused have forced some teachers, including in Ohio, to demand air conditioning in collective bargaining, the outlet reported.
Schools in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin all closed or dismissed students early because of excessive heat last month, according to Stateline.