A student from the Pagasarribide public school in Bilbao had to be urgently evacuated this morning and transferred to Basurto Hospital after suffering a heatstroke. This is the third minor requiring medical attention at the school this week due to conditions experienced inside the building. An ambulance arrived at the school at 10:30 AM, and the student was taken to the hospital in Bilbao, accompanied by the school's director, for emergency medical care.
Last Tuesday, another four-year-old minor received on-site attention from a medicalized ambulance. This situation, not only at Pagasarribide but in many schools, is described as "unsustainable." Consequently, on Thursday, AMPAs (Parents' Associations) from about twenty public schools and institutes in Bilbao held an emergency meeting to denounce the "deplorable conditions" their children face in classrooms, where extreme temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius have been recorded, far exceeding the legal maximum of 27 degrees. "What tragedy must occur before measures are taken?" they questioned, expressing their deep frustration and concern.
Daily life in Bilbao's schools has become a race to find the coolest spaces. Families report that students suffer from fainting spells, gastroenteritis, and constant exhaustion, spending the school day moving between the gymnasium, corridors, or common areas. They assert that this situation directly violates the right to education: "We don't send them to school to see teachers doing their best without resources or guidelines to protect their health. They come to learn, and learning at 35 degrees is impossible."
The AMPAs criticize that the institutional response relies on temporary and delayed remedies, such as the late purchase of fans or the phased installation of awnings that exclude the youngest children's classrooms. A mother and former student of Pagasarribide voiced the accumulated frustration over the lack of maintenance: "It's lamentable that we still lack proper blinds and windows that open and close well, after 40 years. The school still has the same old curtains." Added to this is a warning about legal responsibilities: "They are playing with the safety of workers and the health of our children. They are saving money now, but they will have to pay for it later in compensation when something serious happens."
This situation, they report, is also shared in schools such as Luis Briñas, Santutxu, Gallego Gorria, Pagasarribide, Karmelo, Zurbaranbarri, Deusto, Indautxuko Eskola, Concha, Uribarri, San Adrián, San Ignacio, Basurto, Cervantes, Arangoiti, and Gabriel Aresti.
Another major structural demand is the lack of climate-controlled shelters outside the schools. Families are calling for effective air conditioning plans and a radical shift in the design of recreational spaces. "As you can see, we are surrounded by concrete, which exacerbates the consequences of heatwaves," they criticized, demanding natural materials and shade through "real investments." The desperation is such that some parents are opting not to send their children to class to protect them, accepting administrative consequences. "Some parents are saying to mark them as unjustified absences if they want, but they won't bring their children under these conditions, and in doing so, they also show their discontent," stated Itsaso, spokesperson for the AMPA of Indautxuko Eskola.
Given the severity of the recent incidents, families have decided to take immediate action. Several protests have been called for this Thursday afternoon in Bilbao. At Pagasarribide, a road blockade and a "water fight" protest have been organized. Meanwhile, the educational community of Indautxuko Eskola will gather after classes, using irony to highlight the drama they experience inside the building: "We're going to wear chicken masks with the slogan 'we are not chickens, even though this place seems like an oven.'"
