HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —Students at Keith Valley Middle School are getting dismissed early from school Wednesday due to poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires, school officials said.
The Hatboro-Horsham School District posted the report on its Facebook page, calling for an early dismissal at 1:30 p.m.
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The district said that only the middle school is being dismissed early and that the rest of the schools will remain open on their regular schedules.
“The smoke from the Canadian Wildfires has resulted in deteriorating air quality in our area,” the district said in its statement. “Individuals are advised to remain indoors and keep windows closed while the air quality is in the ‘red’ range.”
School officials said that keeping windows closed at Keith Valley, coupled with the dust from the construction of the new middle school building Wednesday, “has been challenging.”
According to Airnow.gov, Horsham Township’s air quality at 1:15 p.m. is deemed unhealthy with a rating of 185 out of 200. Thursday’s forecast is calling for moderate air quality.
The school district said that full bus transportation is available and that parent pickup will operate normally.
“If students need to remain later and await pickup, we can supervise students after school in the air-conditioned auditorium as they wait,” school officials said. “We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”
The air is expected to remain harmful all day Wednesday.
State environmental officials declared Wednesday as another Code Orange Air Quality Action Day due to Canadian wildfire smoke in the region.
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties are all part of the Code Orange declaration.
On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.