Jalen Hurts donated $600,000 for AC at Philadelphia’s largest high school

Jalen Hurts was watching morning TV three years ago when he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.

“I was very blown away by school not being canceled for snow, not for a hurricane or tropical storm, but for lack of AC,” the Eagles star quarterback said Tuesday.

So Hurts went about doing something to fix that.

On Tuesday, he stood on Northeast High’s stage to announce his foundation was putting up $600,000 to air condition the school’s auditorium.

The announcement was well-timed: Although temperatures were in the high 60s when Hurts made his announcement, with more than 1,000 students, teachers, cheerleaders, marching band members, and dignitaries in the room, it was so sweltering inside the auditorium Mayor Cherelle L. Parker cooled herself with a small personal fan.

When Hurts watched that TV spot, about half of the district’s schools were un-airconditioned. Hurts’ largesse has helped get the number down, but 52 schools — about a quarter of district buildings — still lack air conditioning.

Hurts, on Tuesday, said he wanted to move the needle more for Philadelphia schools.

“Let’s get it to zero,” Hurts said of the number of schools without air conditioning. “I want to get it to zero.”

Asked why he was turning his attention to city schools, Hurts said he was influenced by his educator parents and the people who made a way for him.

“It’s about service and showing up for those around you,” the quarterback said.

Northeast High had window units cooling classrooms prior to Hurts’ announcement, but the auditorium, a hub of the school and the community, was tough to use in the spring and summer months, said Andrew Lukov, the school’s principal.

“This changes everything for us,” Lukov said.

A beaming Parker, who made sure to lead the adoring Northeast crowd in an E-A-G-L-E-S chant, spelled correctly, led the crowd in giving Hurts a standing ovation.

“Jalen, on behalf of the entire city of Philadelphia, we say thank you for your gift,” Parker said. “You will have an impact on more than the 3,400 students who attend this school on a daily basis. You’ve also done something even more important. You’ve used your time, your treasure and your celebrity to assist a a constituency who will never be able to walk in your shoes.”

It feels a little surreal that a major space in an important school lacks adequate climate control in the United States, said Mekhriyona Ilkhomova, a Northeast senior whose speech earned a broad smile and a hands-over-heart-gesture from Hurts.

Hurts’ donation matters, not just because of the money, but because of who he is, said Ilkhomova, a standout student and athlete.

“It reminds us students of what we can become,” she said, “and what we can give back after becoming.”

District officials had promised the entire system would be air conditioned by 2027; the system appears off track to reach that goal.

While Northeast is getting an upgrade, 52 schools lack air conditioning.

When temperatures are forecast to hit 85 degrees or higher by noon, those 52 schools are dismissed early. If the weather forecast calls for temperatures of 85 or higher before 9 a.m., those schools are closed for in-person instruction and remote learning days are called.

That means unequal experiences, with students in some schools not missing instructional time when it’s hot, and those in a quarter of schools subject to interrupted schedules.

Four weeks into a new school year, Philadelphia has had two heat-interrupted days at the 52 schools.

Cooling the remainder of the 52 schools isn’t as simple as buying air conditioning units: Many old buildings lack adequate electrical systems to support whole-school cooling.

Those projects are complicated.

An HVAC project at Kensington High went awry this summer, triggering asbestos issues that forced students and staff to relocate for the rest of the calendar year.