Another above average day keeps TUSD kids indoors

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Another day of excessive heat warnings in the Tucson area forced many indoors Thursday, including TUSD students.

When temperatures are 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, outdoor activities will be canceled. Frank Schiavone, principal at Bonillas Magnet School, said when temperatures are around 100 degrees, they consider whether it is safe for the kids to be outside.

The playgrounds at Bonillas were empty for the day, but classrooms like Annabelle-Lee Urvalejo’s, a first grade teacher at Bonillas, are filled with fun indoor activities.

“They definitely can get kind of jittery,” said Urvalejo of her students.

For Nia Tamplin, first grader at Bonilla, lunch and recess are her favorite times of day at school. Most outdoor activities were canceled for middle school and elementary schools Wednesday and Thursday, including Tamplin’s recess.

“Sometimes we get to do fun stuff, and sometimes we don’t get to do fun stuff because we have to do math,” said Tamplin.

Her class, instead, does dances in their classroom to get their “wiggles” out. Many schools in TUSD use gymnasiums or other indoor facilities.

During August and September, TUSD said they check the heat index daily and make a decision if it is safe for the students to be outside.

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