Massachusetts school district cancels class due to heat, will begin summer break early

WORCESTER, Mass. — One of the largest school districts in Massachusetts has canceled classes for Thursday and will begin the 2024 summer break early due to the extreme heat in this week’s weather forecast.

“We are anticipating hot weather this week with high temperatures forecast above 90 degrees Tuesday through Friday,” Rachel H. Monárrez, Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools, wrote in a letter to the school community. “As a result, school will be canceled on Thursday, June 20.”

Monárrez noted that classes at Burncoat High School will also be canceled on Friday.

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance states these days don’t need to be made up, meaning Tuesday will mark the last day of school for students who attend public schools in Worcester. There was no school scheduled for Wednesday due to the Juneteenth federal holiday.

“Because of the age of our buildings, many do not have air conditioning. We regret that we are ending the school year in an abrupt manner, but we want to ensure our students and staff are safe in what are predicted to be unusually hot temperatures,” Monárrez added.

An excessive heat watch and heat advisory have been posted in Massachusetts.

A string of highs in the 90s are expected Tuesday through Friday and the combination of heat and humidity will result in “feels-like temperatures” of 96-106 degrees.

Any additional weather-related school closings will be posted here.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group