Unusually hot weather delays school openings in the South.

The unusual heat in early September is forcing the first Italian municipalities to revise the school calendar. In Rosolini, in the Syracuse area, the mayor has ordered the closure of all school buildings from September 15th to 18th, moving the first bell to Monday, September 21st. The ordinance cites the persistence of exceptional heat conditions and the lack of adequate air conditioning systems in classrooms.

In San Severo, in the Foggia area, the extraordinary commissioner has set the opening date for preschools, primary schools, and lower secondary schools uniformly for September 14th. This cancels the earlier start dates (on the 8th or 10th of September) that three institutions had planned. The decision is motivated by forecasted temperatures still being very high and the buildings lacking air conditioning.

There is no nationwide postponement. Other municipalities, such as Gallipoli and Stornara, have requested flexibility or delays, but so far the concerned regions (Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Campania) have confirmed the scheduled opening dates, leaving any adjustments to local autonomy.

The issue of Italian schools being inadequate for summer heatwaves emerged strongly as early as June 2026, when reports highlighted several cases of students and teachers falling ill due to high temperatures in classrooms. Public debate ignited at the beginning of September when various school unions, including CGIL, raised the problem, calling for a widespread postponement of the school year's start. The underlying issue is the lack of adequate air conditioning systems: according to cited data, only 7.5% of Italian educational institutions are equipped with them.

The stakeholders are numerous: on one side, the unions (CGIL, FLC CGIL, FILLEA CGIL, ANIEF) calling for structural interventions; on the other, the Ministry of Education, which in June had announced it was working on the problem and later allocated 20 million euros for cooling devices. However, Local Authorities (Municipalities, Provinces) complain of insufficient funds to upgrade buildings, many of which are old and lack even the basic infrastructure for such systems. Some mayors in the South began submitting requests for flexibility to the Regions in the first days of September, even before official decisions were made.