Philly school district begins operating AC units amid record-breaking heat

Philadelphia is expected to see record setting temperatures topping 90 degrees for the second day straight on Thursday.

And, in order to deal with the heat — and prepare for the summer months ahead — the School District of Philadelphia announced that, starting Thursday, air-conditioning systems for schools across the district would start to come online.

Between Thursday and May, 1, 2026, officials said, HVAC systems at schools throughout the district would be transitioned from heating to cooling.

Buildings would be switched over on a rolling basis day-to-day as crews worked their way through the city’s school system, officials said.

Also, for schoolrooms with in-window AC units, the district would be turning them on on Thursday, officials said, to help maintain comfortable temperatures.

However, in a note to staff, the district said there would be some rules to follow to ensure “safe and efficient” operation of school AC units:

• Only District-installed window air conditioning units may be used.
• Extension cords should never be used with window air conditioning units.
• Staff should ensure windows remain closed around the unit while it is operating.
• Units should be turned off at the end of each day and whenever rooms are unoccupied.
• Any unit that is not functioning properly should be reported to the Building Engineer immediately.
• Personal portable air conditioners and other non-approved cooling devices remain prohibited.

Officials said that, this year, there are 53 school buildings with insufficient cooling. That is up from 54 schools that reported insufficient cooling the year before.