Bavaria medical association proposes heat protection for schools

The Bavarian State Medical Association has released a heat protection plan for schools, proposing that no exams or new exam-relevant material be taught when indoor classroom temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius. Instead, the plan suggests engaging students in pedagogically meaningful individual or group activities.

Medical experts warn that children absorb heat faster than adults and that even moderate heat stress can impair cognitive performance, weaken memory, and negatively affect test results. This comes as record-high temperatures in June and July have led to overheating in many older, poorly insulated school buildings.

The Philologists Association (bpv) has long advocated for a heat protection toolkit for schools. While the association notes a lack of official temperature statistics, teachers report that classrooms frequently exceed comfortable thermal zones during summer days. The bpv views adapting learning content to temperatures as a reasonable recommendation, though they emphasize that the 30-degree mark should not be treated as an absolute hard limit for all local school decisions.