GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools has announced that the district will conduct classes for a half day on Thursday. The decision was made due to extreme heat.
The closure also includes the cancelation of all afternoon and evening student-involved activities.
Although most GRPS schools have air conditioning, some of them do not. Since many families in the district have children at multiple school sites, the GRPS leaders felt a district-wide decision was appropriate.
“With the humidity and air temperatures in the forecast tomorrow, it will simply be too warm in some of our buildings as we move into the afternoon,” said GRPS Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby. “It’s a difficult call to make so early in the school year but when temperatures reach such high levels it raises a safety concern.”
Despite the half day, the district administration offices will remain open.
A list of the dismissal times for each Grand Rapids Public Schools building can be found on the district’s website.