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Newark Public Schools leaders moved summer school activities indoors for the second day in a row on Friday as smoke from wildfires burning across Canada rolled into the state this week.
“Due to the heat advisory and air quality conditions, all summer programs and activities will continue indoors,” confirmed Paul Brubaker, Newark Public Schools’ communications director, via email Friday morning.
The smoke turned the sky hazy on Thursday and into Friday morning, as temperatures almost hit 90 degrees in some parts of northern New Jersey. Rising heat and thick smoke forced teachers and staff to think quickly about indoor activities for students in limited spaces, according to two sources who asked to remain anonymous so they could share details with Chalkbeat.
This year, summer school is held across 15 elementary schools, 10 high schools, and two specialized schools serving students with disabilities. It is a mix of mandatory academic programs in the morning and afternoon enrichment activities, such as sports camps, visual arts programs, and outdoor play. Summer Achieve, the district’s mandatory academic program required for kindergarten through seventh grade students based on state test scores and literacy screener data, runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day.
The wildfire smoke is especially concerning for young children in Newark, where nearly 1 in 4 has asthma, far outpacing the national average of 1 in 11. Newark also closed all outdoor pools and urged residents to limit outside activities and remain inside when possible. The city is also distributing masks at several locations.
Teachers had little notice this week and even less space to work with as gyms built to hold a single class period now had to absorb activities that were supposed to spread out across playgrounds and fields. Most schools have air conditioning, and students “were cool for the most part,” according to one teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Another teacher, who also shared details under the condition of anonymity, said staff is falling back on “good old school stuff.” On Friday, younger students were set to play silent ball, a quiet, low movement version of the schoolyard game made to fit in a classroom, while older students watched movies.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and the city’s Department of Health and Community Wellness issued an air quality alert on Thursday, warning that pollution from fires could push the Air Quality Index to 200, an unhealthy level. But on Thursday night, the air quality moved to the very unhealthy category, where anyone could experience poor health due to the smoke, according to Northjersey.com.
In 2023, wildfire smoke from Canada sent a thick, orange haze over the Northeast area. It also forced schools to cancel recess and move outdoor activities indoors. This week’s smoke was milder but came on a similarly short timeframe, giving schools little room to plan.
Air quality levels are expected to get better on Saturday. Residents can check their local air quality at the AirNow website, which provides state, local, and regional updates.
Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
