US schools mull outdoor classes amid virus

This 1911 photo from the Library of Congress shows schoolchildren on the ferry boat Rutherford, across the river from Manhattan, and near the Brooklyn Bridge. Photos: AP

It has been seven years since the central air conditioning system worked at the New York City middle school where Lisa Fitzgerald O’Connor teaches. As a new school year approaches amid the coronavirus pandemic, she and her colleagues are threatening not to return unless it's repaired.

Her classroom has a window air conditioning unit, but she fears the stagnant air will increase the chances that an infected student could spread the virus.