New Westminster school board trustees criticize ‘dangerously hot’ portables

Two New Westminster school board trustees are demanding increased provincial funding to cool down classrooms, especially portables.

Danielle Connelly and Kathleen Carlsen say that students are stuck in overheated and unsafe learning environments.

“Anybody trying to learn is going to have a hard time in such extreme heat. It absolutely affects the education,” said Carlsen in an interview with CityNews. Both want to speak for themselves and not for the school board.

In a media statement, Connelly described the portables as “not only overcrowded but also dangerously hot during extreme weather.”

In the statement, Connelly and Carlsen blame the lack of funding from the B.C. Ministry of Education for the situation.

“This situation is a direct result of the provincial government’s ongoing failure to invest in adequate, permanent classroom spaces,” said both trustees.  

They say because portables are getting so hot, school staff are shuffling students between them and cooler indoor spaces.

Connelly and Carlsen urge the provincial government the improve the situation.

“This isn’t about politics — it’s about student safety, health, and learning,” said Connelly.