Dear John,

On Tuesday, the Board of Education took action for healthy green public schools by unanimously passing the “Extreme Heat Mitigation & Disaster Preparedness at LAUSD” resolution, sponsored by board members Kelly Gonez, Karla Griego, Dr. Rocio Rivas, along student board member Jerry Yang.

With this vote, LAUSD took an active step to protect our students, educators, workers, and communities. The successful implementation of this resolution requires continued collaboration, transparency, and accountability between LAUSD and our students and parents, labor partners like SMART 105 and UTLA, and community-based allies. 

As extreme weather events become more common and more grave, efforts such as this one are necessary for students to survive and thrive. This resolution provides a holistic approach to the crisis of extreme heat by calling for investments in modernized cooling infrastructure, greening, hydration, and shade (including tree canopy) at LAUSD schools. It will ensure the District’s HVAC systems are in peak operation—increasing indoor air quality and safe temperatures—while seeking ways to link efficiency and renewable energy production, all of which supports good union jobs with high-road career pathways for LAUSD graduates. The District will also study the phaseout of artificial turf, which gets hotter than asphalt and causes more injuries than natural playing fields.

We will continue advocating for important progress like this to protect working-class communities and communities of color, ensure that good union jobs are at the forefront of all projects, and advance the implementation of climate resolutions to support LAUSD’s commitment to cooler, cleaner, and healthier schools.