EAST PROVIDENCE — His classroom was dark. The lights were off. Eighteen shades were pulled as far down as they would go and another window was cleverly covered with a poster board. There were two fans on high for the students and Michael Johnson, their teacher, had a mini fan for himself.

Across the hall, Dennis Nobrega’s classroom lights were beaming. The shades weren’t being used and the windows were wide open. A single fan blew.

The two East Providence High School physics teachers jokingly debated which room was the worst yesterday.

“This side is at least 20 degrees hotter,” Johnson said, his hair clumped together and sweat droplets clung to his forehead.

Nobrega disagreed. His face wasn’t flushed nor was his Hawaiian shirt damp.

They settled the dispute with an easy experiment. Nobrega walked into Johnson’s room and instantly knew he was wrong. And for good measure, Johnson picked up a scientific thermometer nearby.

It read 100 degrees.

The school district didn’t let its students out early because of the heat yesterday, although others — such as Tiverton, Seekonk and Bristol Warren — did. Instead, school officials relaxed their policy on allowing students to have drinks in the classroom and made water readily available.

“We talked about it, but sending 6,000-plus kids to mostly empty homes didn’t seem like a good alternative,” Robert Rodericks, the media correspondent for East Providence’s School Department, said Monday evening. “We generally follow the lead of our governor, such as when ozone alerts are issued.”

The administrators also knew the seniors — who will graduate Saturday — were already out of school and the rest of the high schoolers were being let out early because they were only taking final exams. In addition, its second largest school, Martin Middle School, has air conditioning.

“The weather inside the building is perfect,” Martin principal Frank Devall said. “I feel bad for the kids when they have to go on the buses.”

School nurse Linda Pinheiro-Feola said, “We’re actually very comfy here. One student even went home to get a sweatshirt. We’re the lucky ones.”

She did not see one student for a heat-related illness yesterday. Yet at the high school, the largest in the state, Pinheiro-Feola’s counterparts had seen more than 40 students yesterday because of the weather.

Ninety-two came to the high school’s nursing station Monday — when temperatures approached 100 degrees — but not all were victims of the weather.

“I did it for four years and it must be a [scorcher] up there,” Devall, a former high school teacher said. “Even the shady spots are hot.”

Several students had hand towels wrapped around their necks as they traveled from one classroom to another. The science wing on the second floor appeared to trap the most heat. Karissa McCarthy, 15, a freshman, had a water bottle pressed to her forehead after leaving Johnson’s physics classroom.

“That has to be the hottest room [in the building],” she said as Nobrega and Johnson discussed their classroom’s temperature. “I lost concentration.”

Said Nobrega, “The kids were unbelievable taking the finals. To stay focused in this weather … That really surprised me. I thought they would be whining, but they didn’t. They were incredible.”

The best section was the high school pool. Physical education teacher Chris Rose took a dip in it for 10 minutes during her lunch break.

When asked if she felt better, Rose exclaimed, “Oh yes. The water is nice and comfortable.”

The other physical education teachers said they should have joined her. She was the only one smiling.

apina@projo.com