McCaskill’s Mills Public School in Cannington is slated to get air conditioning as part of a three-year project.

The $17.6-million initiative by the Durham District School Board will see full air conditioning added to six other schools and partial service in nearly two dozen more.

The other public schools receiving full air conditioning are Joseph Gould in Uxbridge, S.A. Cawker in Scugog, Bayview Heights and Maple Ridge in Pickering, Eagle Ridge in Ajax as well as John Dryden in Whitby.

“As weather patterns change, southern Ontario experiences warmer temperatures during a school year that were not previously witnessed. It is the goal of the DDSB to have air conditioned spaces within all schools, such as library and office areas, which would allow students to rotate through the spaces for cooling,” reads a report from staff that was discussed at last week’s board meeting.

“Within each area, it is the goal to have one or two fully air conditioned elementary schools and secondary schools, which would become the designated school for pupils that have medical needs that require them to be accommodated in cooled spaces. This would allow any student with medical needs to access all areas of the school, library, gym, washrooms, along with all classrooms.”

Thirteen schools currently have full air conditioning while 95 have partial service, typically in the library and office areas.

The report also notes that air conditioning will be featured in the new elementary school that could be built in Beaverton.