Hot in Here: Students, Administrators Grin and Bear Thursday's Single-Session Surprise

Union County residents were urged to stay indoors Thursday as temperatures soared up to 98 degrees. The sudden heat wave forced Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools officials to declare a half-day – only the second time in three years that school schedules were adjusted for a heat-related emergency.

David Heisey, principal of , said that even though students’ early-dismissal inevitably interfered with their in-class review time for final exams, which start next Friday, closing schools early was ultimately a prudent move.

“In this heat, it is hard to teach or learn meaningfully,” he said. “Obviously we lost time, but we’ll make up for it.”

The students, meanwhile, didn’t seem to mind. They rushed out the doors, eagerly discussing plans to hit nearby pools.

“I’m happy if the students are happy,” Heisey said, looking around. Asked he planned to spend his half-day, he laughed. “Well, if I were closer to the Shore, that’s where I’d be.”

Junior Sarah VanBuskirk said the school closings came as a relief. “I’m ecstatic,” she said, “I love the heat, but anything over 95 degrees is just a little ridiculous. Plus it’s so humid.”

VanBuskirk said she planned to spend the afternoon in air-conditioning. Classmate Erin Pierce, by contrast, said was gearing up to face the heat. “I have a track meet today, state-somethings,” Pierce said. “It’s my last one this year.”

To cope with the extreme temperatures, the team brings a tent to competitions to stay out of the sun. “I just don’t move until I have to,” she said.

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District last changed schedules due to extreme heat in June 2008, when it closed schools for a full day, Superintendent Margaret Hayes said.

This year, however, the district had already used all of its emergency-closing days for the winter snow storms.

Temperatures Friday were predicted to remain about 10 degrees lower than Thursday, according to Weather Channel and Weather Underground Reports. Nevertheless, with the thermometer predicted to hover in the mid-to high-80s, Dr. Arvind Shah, a Westfield pediatrician, urged residents to still exercise caution when going outdoors.

“People shouldn’t go out in the middle of the day when the heat is strongest,” he said. “If you have to go out, go out in the morning or the evening.” Those who do have to be outside when the sun is highest, Shah recommended wearing loose cotton clothing and plenty of sunscreen. “SPF 50 should be used generously,” he said.

And the golden rule? “Stay hydrated! If you’re thirsty, it means you’re already a bit dehydrated. You should be drinking water all the time.”

Shah warned that heat stroke, an imbalance of salts and electrolytes, is a serious consequence of spending too much time in the heat. Warning signs include, “feeling dry and thirsty, dizzy, breathless, and that your body temperature is [too high and] out of control….Heat stroke is very serious, and can even lead to death. The best way to prevent it is to stay in [temperature] controlled environments.”