Providence teachers protest heating and safety issues in 13 schools

Thirteen Providence public schools experienced heating outages in a single week, with classroom temperatures fluctuating from the low 50s to the 90s, sending students home sick and prompting teachers, parents and students to rally Wednesday evening outside the district’s administrative offices, The Providence Journal reported.

The protest lands at a volatile moment for Providence Public Schools. Teachers say the reality on the ground is far broader, and the gap between official statements and classroom conditions has become the story itself.

A Day of Bone-Cold and Sweating Hot at Hope High

Elijah Guzman spent Wednesday teaching at Hope High School in rooms that were either “bone-cold” or “sweating” hot, he told The Providence Journal. Power outages repeatedly plunged his classrooms into darkness after temporary space heaters overloaded the old electrical circuits, sometimes burning out smart boards and laptop-charging carts. Friends of his have missed school because the freezing rooms were “causing students to get sick,” he said.

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Guzman’s experience mirrors what educators across the district describe.

“We deserve better, our children definitely deserve better.”

Asbestos, Fumes and Construction Noise Add to Safety Fears

The union’s grievances extend well beyond thermostats. At Hope High, special education teacher Kate Burakowski said asbestos abatement vehicles arrived in front of the building on Wednesday with no notification to anyone inside, even as students and staff remained present.

Temperatures at Hope have swung to extremes in both directions. Burakowski reported classrooms reaching into the 80s and 90s—hot enough to give one student a nosebleed—while other rooms dipped into the low 50s.

Providence Teachers Union hosts informational picket on freezing school conditions

“Do the taxpayers know?” Burakowski asked.

What the Union Is Demanding

Providence Teachers Union president Lindsay Paiva told the crowd the protest was not just about heat. Paiva said she has asked for months to be included on that committee but has been stonewalled.

Providence teachers protest heating and safety issues in 13 schools

To document conditions, Paiva handed out thermometers to teachers, noting that a first-grade classroom had hit 55 degrees. Witness, USA Today’s community news network, reported that space heaters have caused power outages that disrupt digital lessons, since curriculum now relies on smart boards and computers. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends workplace temperatures between 68 and 76 degrees, though it does not mandate a minimum.

Officials Apologize, but Accounts Clash

Mayor-elect David Morales addressed the small crowd Wednesday evening, calling the conditions “absolutely unacceptable.”

“To our students, to our parents, to our educators: I’m sorry.”

The district’s own account tells a different story. On Oct. 29, a district superintendent sent parents a letter identifying only four schools with boiler issues: Central, Greene, Hope and West. The letter said all boilers had passed state and ABM inspections over the summer and that space heaters were being provided. By Nov. 4, a district spokesperson told The Providence Journal that boilers at Hope and Greene had been “up and running” since Oct. 30, repairs were completed at Central but awaited a state inspection before being turned on, and work continued at West.

Teachers dispute that account, saying heating outages continue at Hope, Greene and Central. The 13 schools reporting heat problems include Classical High, Providence Career & Technical Academy, Mount Pleasant High, Asa Messer Elementary, Central High, Dr. Jorge Alvarez High, Hope High, Nathanael Greene Middle, Leviton Dual Language, Veazie Street Elementary, George West Elementary, Alfred Lima Elementary and Webster Avenue Elementary.