Outrage in Baltimore after kids huddle in freezing classrooms

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Old Man Winter’s first big breath brought similar snowy scenes all along the East Coast. Meteorologists say the strengthening storm has already surpassed the criteria for a “bomb cyclone.”
USA TODAY

Baltimore closed its public schools Thursday amid blustery cold, snowy conditions and community outrage after conducting classes in some buildings where students had to wear coats and gloves to stay warm.

At least a half-dozen schools opened late or closed early Wednesday because of heating problems. Staff in about 60 district schools complained about heating issues, almost one-third of the city’s total.

Schools CEO Sonja Santelises, in a Facebook Live video, blamed the “unprecedented” cold.

“We don’t normally close just because it is a cold day,” she said. “But we also understand, and I hear people, that this is sustained cold. And nobody in this city, including me, wants folks sitting around in coats and in mittens all day for the entire day.”

The conditions drew national notice after former NFL linebacker Aaron Maybin, now a public school teacher, posted video on social media of his elementary school students huddled in coats.

“It’s really ridiculous the kind of environment we place our children into and expect them to get an education,” Maybin said. “I got two classes in one room, kids are freezing, Lights are off. No computers. We’re doing our best but our kids don’t deserve this.”

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The district has defended its efforts in a letter to staff, students and families, saying keeping buildings open whenever possible is a priority. Santelises acknowledged that classes were underway “even when conditions are sometimes less than ideal.”

She said many schools contain leaky windows and outdated heating systems that make maintenance difficult.

“We want students to have every possible opportunity for teaching and learning,”  Santelises said. “And we also want to make sure that students can get the services and supports that many families rely on (such as)  warm meals and before-and after-school care.”

The Baltimore Teachers Union responded with a letter to Santelises, blasting the condition of the classrooms.

“Your expectation that our members and the children that they teach endure bursting boilers, drafty windows, frigid temperatures in classrooms, and risk getting sick in these ‘less than ideal’ conditions, is utterly ridiculous,” the union said.

Maybin, a first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2009, is a teacher, an artist and an activist in his native Baltimore. His social media posts about the schools have drawn offers of help, and he says local women are collecting money for space heaters and coats.

“Update: yesterday we raised 8,000$ of our $20,000 goal to get space heaters and winter coats for the kids in the affected schools,” Maybin tweeted Thursday. “Thank you to everyone that has donated so far. Let’s keep this going. School is closed today so I will be collecting items myself.”

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