As a punishing heat wave continues to grip Belize in May 2026, K-12 campuses across the country have been pushed to their limits, with educators, families and school leaders banding together to implement urgent heat mitigation strategies to protect student health. At Burrell Boom Methodist School, one of the institutions on the front lines of this climate-driven challenge, sweltering classroom conditions have forced quick, creative adjustments to daily operations, even as the school community refuses to pause learning amid the crisis.
Lincoln Jones, a teacher at Burrell Boom Methodist School, outlined the extreme conditions students and staff face on a daily basis. “We see that our students are sweating profusely. Even sweat drips off their faces onto their chins and their textbooks and assignment papers,” Jones explained. Despite opening all windows to draw in cross ventilation and being located on the upper floor of the school building, Jones noted that stagnant, hot air circulating through the classrooms leaves temperatures unbearably high, even with basic ventilation measures in place.
To address the crisis, the school launched an informal “Beat the Heat” initiative centered on accessible, low-cost adjustments. All students are required to carry personal water bottles, and every classroom is equipped with a hot/cold water dispenser, which is now exclusively used to supply cold drinking water throughout the school day. The school has also repurposed its air-conditioned computer lab as a temporary cooling space, with teachers rotating their classes into the lab for scheduled cool-down breaks throughout the week. To reduce the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, the administration has also banned strenuous running and outdoor physical activity on school grounds during peak heat hours.
Parents have stepped up to support the school’s efforts, making their own adjustments to help children cope with the extreme conditions. Sherie Westby, a parent of a student at the school, shared that she prioritizes constant hydration to keep her child healthy. “A lot of showers before school and lots of water. I add ice to his insulated thermos to keep the water cold for longer, and he drinks continuously throughout the day,” Westby said. When she notices her child’s classroom is running low on supplies, she donates extra money to the school to purchase additional water for students. “It’s unbearably hot out there right now, but we don’t have a choice – they can’t miss out on school, so we do what we have to do,” she added.
Belize’s Ministry of Education has acknowledged the growing crisis and responded with policy flexibility to support affected schools. The Ministry confirmed that campus administrators have submitted formal requests to adjust uniform policies (to allow looser, cooler clothing) and modify daily class schedules to avoid peak afternoon heat, and officials are encouraging school leadership to implement adaptive changes as needed to protect student well-being.
This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television news broadcast, with Kriol-language dialogue rendered in standardized spelling for the online publication.