One Philly schools went virtual Monday because of the cold, and four others dismissed early due to broken heat

It was so cold Monday at Farrell Elementary, a Philadelphia public school in Northeast Philadelphia, that middle schoolers were wearing coats indoors. Middle schoolers!

That was just one example of trouble for the Philadelphia School District amid the prolonged frigid spell bearing down on the region, with a number of schools plagued by burst pipes, broken heaters, and other issues.

Furness High, in South Philadelphia, moved to virtual instruction Monday “due to ongoing heating challenges.”

» READ MORE: Some classrooms in a storied Philly high school saw ‘untenable’ below-40 temperatures Friday

“The safety and comfort of our staff remains our top priority,” wrote Teresa Fleming, the district’s chief operating officer. “Moving to virtual instruction for the day allows necessary work to continue while allowing minimal disruption to learning.”

Though Farrell’s heat was on the fritz for the third school day in a row, the district did not pivot to virtual learning there. Instead, it was one of four schools that dismissed early due to heating issues. For much of the day until classes ended, Farrell students and staff were forced to either bundle up or find space to relocate in more-adequately heated spots in the overcrowded school, according to staffers who asked not be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Six Farrell classes camped out in the auditorium, including one class of 38 eighth graders. But the auditorium had to do double duty because cold weather — and the unplowed state of the yard where students typically play — meant that students who’d typically be in the yard before or after eating lunch had to be in the auditorium also, Farrell employees said.

Meaningful learning was “absolutely not” going on in the auditorium, one staffer said. “It’s almost impossible.” Students were instructed to complete work on Google Classroom, and teachers were balancing crowd control and working with students individually.

In other cases, teachers and students just stayed in cold rooms, bundled up. Small-group instruction has to happen in hallways because of the population overflow; the hallways are also freezing.

» READ MORE: Philly schools reopened Thursday. Some students returned to snowbanks, burst pipes, and frigid classrooms

“It’s just ridiculous,” said the Farrell staffer said of the school conditions.

They and others were frustrated that though district officials knew Farrell was plagued by heating issues, students and staff were required to be in the building, especially while other schools were permitted to go virtual while issues were worked out.

District students had a snow day last Monday, learned virtually on Tuesday and Wednesday, then when back for in-person instruction on Thursday, though conditions were tough in many schools. In some places, heating issues have resolved.

“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priorities,” district spokesperson Monique Braxton said. “Due to sustained frigid temperatures following the recent snowstorm, combined with the age of some School District of Philadelphia facilities, several schools are experiencing heating-related challenges.”

In addition to Farrell,Greenberg Elementary, another school in the Northeast, dismissed early because of heating issues, Braxton said. So did the U School and Parkway Center City Middle College, two district high schools.

District workers and independent contractors are “actively addressing both ongoing and newly identified facilities issues to ensure that all students can safely return to a full day of in-person instruction as soon as possible,” Braxton said.

At Farrell, one teacher brought in their own heater to try to keep warm, a staffer said and one teacher known for wearing shorts every day finally broke down and wore pants.

And then there were the middle schoolers, seemingly constitutionally averse to bundling up.

“Even the older ones have on coats,” the staffer said. “It’s so cold that they wore coats.”

Younger students, the staffer said, are more curious.

“They say, ‘Why is it so cold in my classroom?’“ said the Farrell staffer.

By lunchtime, word started to spread that both Farrell and Greenberg were dismissing early, staff there said.

But that late call came with its own set of headaches — while some parents will be able to react to the news quickly and pick their children up early, others may be stuck at work and unable to get to school at dismissal.

Arthur Steinberg, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president, remained frustrated and angry by the district’s call. Steinberg said last week that the district’s return to buildings was “dangerous” given conditions in some places.

“They shouldn’t have brought people in if they knew the buildings were going to be this cold,” Steinberg said.

As to why one school was permitted to be virtual while others were brought in with inadequate heat, Steinberg was stumped.