Milan, infernal heat in nurseries and summer camps: "The first air conditioners have been installed. It's not enough, families must be reimbursed"

Milan, July 4, 2025 – The good news is that the scorching heat should be numbered , at least according to the weather forecasts that predict a weekend of thunderstorms and plummeting temperatures . The bad news is that children and educational staff at nurseries, kindergartens and summer camps in the city have been facing hellish weather for days. On the one hand, the concern and anger of parents (who in some cases have taken action on their own to procure fans for the facilities) , on the other, the exasperation of educational staff , also exhausted by Pluto 's scorching temperatures. A situation that has – inevitably – sparked controversy (including political controversy) .

In the online petition (“Heat emergency in Milan’s municipal nursery schools and kindergartens” ) on the website of the Municipality of Milan, a group of parents recently denounced “ the lack of means of cooling classrooms, in a climate context that for years can no longer be considered exceptional” . “With the arrival of summer – and in particular in the months of June and July – temperatures in classrooms reach intolerable levels, transforming school environments into real greenhouses . Children, still very young and therefore more vulnerable, are heavily affected: they sweat continuously, are exhausted, sleep badly, and some even end up with a fever at the end of the day . Educational staff also work in extremely difficult conditions, with inevitable repercussions on general well-being and the quality of the service” they explained in the petition, which has exceeded 4,100 signatures. Something, it must be said, has moved in recent days: after the protests from Palazzo Marino, the installation of the first air conditioners in summer centers has begun (which will continue until after mid-July). But the controversy is far from over.

"After weeks of pressure, petitions and protests - declared the group leader of Fratelli d'Italia Riccardo Truppo in a meeting at Palazzo Marino - the Municipality is finally installing the first air conditioners in summer camps. It is an important result , but not enough. In many schools, the fans were bought by parents with their own money , at the request of teachers, to try to protect children from the extreme heat. Some children have suffered heat stroke with fevers of up to 40 degrees . Now the Municipality must take a step further: immediately reimburse the families . And on July 14, during the Budget, we will bring to the Chamber a formal request for financial coverage for this purpose. Milan cannot continue to ignore its youngest children. It is a question of civility and respect ".

"We are in the midst of an exceptional heat wave , but the Municipality of Milan remains immobile - added Deborah Dell'Acqua, vice coordinator of FdI Milan -. No ordinance, no emergency plan. Nurseries without air conditioning, RSA with inadequate systems, disabled people prisoners on hot and inadequate public transport". Andrea Mascaretti, FdI deputy, concluded: "The Sala Administration invests millions in 50,000 euro electric columns for cars, but does not adapt the electrical systems of schools where children and workers risk illnesses due to the heat. In schools as in municipal construction sites, worker protection is non-existent".