High Heat Closed County Public Schools 2 Hours Early

Soaring temperatures forced all of Baltimore County's public schools to close two hours early Wednesday, said school system spokesman Charles Herndon.

Afternoon pre-kindergarten was also closed for the day while other after-school activities were being canceled on a case-by-case basis.

The National Weather Service recorded a temperature of 97 degrees at 4 p.m., but the heat index was closer to 100.

"We have a number of our schools that are not air conditioned, in the classrooms particularly," Herndon said. "The combination of both the heat and the humidity made for rather distractingly uncomfortable conditions in some of the classrooms."

There are 173 schools in Baltimore County. Nearly 60 are not fully air-conditioned, Herndon said.

Whenever Baltimore County Public Schools officials close early the process of shuttling 70,000 students on 800 buses while also alerting parents of the early dismissal is a major "logistical undertaking," Herndon said.

"It all hinges on transportation more than anything else. Because of our location in the mid-Atlantic we occasionally have to close early due to snow, due to inclement weather, due to whatever it may be. It's a routine that the school system has pretty well down," Herndon said.

The school system partners with several weather services that monitor conditions countywide.

"With a county as large as Baltimore County you can have different conditions in different areas," Herndon said. "For the most part, anybody who sticks their head out the window is going to know how hot it's been today."

Parents were alerted late in the morning of the early dismissal. An automated call from Christine Warner, principal of Stoneleigh Elementary, ended with, "Think cool thoughts."