Harvie Elementary dismisses early after AC failure during hot school day

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Students at Harvie Elementary were sent home early Wednesday after an air conditioning failure created what Henrico County Public Schools described as "extremely warm" conditions in certain classrooms.

According to a message sent to parents Wednesday afternoon, the early dismissal stemmed from an issue with the building's air conditioning system.

An HCPS spokesperson said the problem was not school-wide, but the additional strain of Wednesday's 95-degree heat on Harvie's mechanical systems prompted the school division to begin dismissing students at 12:45 p.m.

Parents arrived to pick up their children shortly before 1 p.m.

Most parents declined to speak on camera.

One parent made clear she was angry about ongoing HVAC issues, and another said it was 100 degrees in some parts of the building.

The early dismissal is the latest in a series of HVAC-related issues HCPS has been dealing with since last spring.

Watch: Henrico school leaders address HVAC 'challenges'

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors doubled the school system's maintenance budget to $20 million to resolve HVAC issues ahead of and during the 2026-27 school year.

HCPS has not yet provided a list of schools facing HVAC-related problems.

CBS 6 has filed a FOIA request with the school system seeking specifics on issues that currently exist across its 74 school buildings.

Varina District School Board Member Alicia Atkins has not responded to a request for comment.

During last week's school board meeting, Henrico County Superintendent Amy Cashwell assured parents that measures were being taken to address the issues across the division.

"We have experienced some challenges," Cashwell said.

She also said an update on the maintenance team's progress would be provided during the September 10 work session meeting.

"We continue to work with a team to take broader action to improve the quality control and reliability of HVAC systems across all of our schools and strengthen our ability to respond to mechanical challenges," Cashwell said.

In the meantime, the school division said it will work with a contracted vendor to resolve the issue at Harvie Elementary as quickly as possible. Portable air conditioning units will be installed in the affected classrooms as a backup. The plan is for Harvie students to return to the classroom Thursday.

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