Allentown schools extend early dismissal for rest of the week amid heat wave

• Allentown School District is cutting short school days through the end of the week because of excessive heat
• Temperatures in the 90s are forecast for the next few days
• More information on school events, athletics and after-school activities is forthcoming, the district said

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Allentown School District will dismiss students early through the rest of the week because of the heat.

In a message to families with children in the district from ASD Communications, the district said it will dismiss all students early out of an abundance of caution.

"Today, the temperature exceeded 90 degrees, with a real feel temperature of 101 degrees," the emailed statement said. "That level of heat disrupts student learning and productivity and creates a potential health hazard for students and staff–especially those with underlying medical conditions."

All middle schools and high schools will end the day at 11 a.m. through Friday.

Elementary schools and the Building 21 High School will dismiss students at 12:15 p.m. School breakfasts and lunches will be served.

The schedules for Lehigh Career & Technical Institute and Lehigh Carbon Community College remain the same.

More information from district will be released on school-specific events, athletics and after-school activities, a spokeswoman said.

Many of the school district's buildings are aging and without air conditioning. Harrison Morton Middle School dates to the 19th century, with construction in 1874. The district said it has been adding air conditioning to its buildings since 2022 using federal pandemic funding, and has updated eight buildings so far. It said last September it planned to upgrade 10 facilities by this time in 2024.

Temperatures will remain in the 90s for the next few days before dropping to the high 80s on Friday and then into the 70s next week, according to the National Weather Service.