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In January of 2018, Baltimore City Public School teachers posted photos of their classroom conditions onto social media, showing classrooms full of students wearing winter gear during their lessons, the results of various facilities failures, and thermometers showing low classroom temperatures (Shen, 2018). In September of 2019, around 50 schools closed several times due to temperatures reaching 90 degrees and a lack of air conditioning systems within the schools (Baltimore Sun Staff, 2019). The Baltimore City Public Schools system suffers from extreme education inequity. This is especially visible in the conditions of the schools and the resulting learning conditions of students. Schools in Baltimore have closed for several days and even weeks due to lack of air-conditioning as temperatures rise and lack of heating as temperatures fall. According to the Baltimore Sun (2018), “There are aging roofs, rusted pipes, cracking steps and broken elevators — all piling up to a massive maintenance backlog that has swollen to nearly $3 billion. That’s more than double the district’s annual operating budget.(Richman, 2018)” Additionally, students do not have adequate access to classroom supplies, proper books, and necessary accommodations for students who need them. Students are not only losing valuable time in the classroom, but are unable to fully dedicate themselves to and participate in their learning because of the lacking conditions. Many schools in BCPS suffer while the few schools in the system that hold larger percentages of European-American students tend to have newer facilities, better qualified teachers, and more supplies. The inequities are stark and push students to participate in dangerous behaviors that reaffirm the City’s negative reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. 

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Across the country, many schools face similar inequities in learning conditions. In Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, there are currently 8 schools without air-conditioning (Geli, 2020). In 2017, there were 19 schools in Orange County, California that were without air-conditioning (Gregory, 2017). In 2012, there were at least 36 New York City schools without heating as they returned to school after winter break (Modica, 2012). Many of these schools are centered in more urban areas, where there tends to be more urban youth of color who are impacted. The majority of my K-12 education was spent as a student under the Baltimore City Public Schools System. As a student, I noticed the lack of adequate supplies, teachers, and infrastructure within my schools. In this investigation, I hope to gain an understanding of the root(s) of these inequities and who is fighting to stop them. I also hope to gain an understanding of who is profiting from these inequities in BCPS.