'It's hot': Up to 15 Henrico schools face cooling issues daily

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Nearly one month into the school year, science classes inside a building at Varina High School had to be moved Friday due to no AC in the building.

"It's hot. It's hot. It's just hot. We're trying to learn, but we can't learn," said Lucia Papelino, a junior at the school.

She also said temperatures in the building over the summer caused batteries to fail for cameras used in her communications classes.

"We're out on the football field there, and we're like, hey, our batteries are just tanking because it'll be 100, then 70, then 60, then 50, and then it just dies," Papelino said.

Varina is not alone. Henrico County Schools spokeswoman Eileen Cox said that on any given day, 12 to 15 schools across the district are experiencing cooling issues.

Cox said the AC issues at Varina are related to a fan motor issues that should be resolved in the next few days.

She also said a mechanical system project over the summer elevated temperatures at Varina. She said any damage to the batteries, if related to heat, is most likely from the summer months and not current conditions.

At Highland Springs High School, English teacher Patrick Miller said they haven't escaped HVAC issues either — despite the fact that their brand new building opened in 2021.

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"Even here, we're experiencing temperatures above 80 or 85," Miller said.

"How can it be that a brand new school is already experiencing HVAC issues?” investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit asked.

“It’s strange to me too. It’s funny to me," Miller replied.

Cox said technicians are validating the water flow settings for the chiller at the school and that it is operating but being monitored to ensure optimal cooling.

Miller said he has been hearing from staff about extreme heat in their classrooms consistently for the past two years.

"Is it fair to make your staff work in hot conditions?” Hipolit asked.

"No, it is not," Miller said.

Miller, who is a member of the Henrico Education Association union, called HVAC issues the top systemic issue plaguing the school system this year. That assessment appears to contradict statements made by Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell and School Board member Kristi Kinsella at a work session last week.

"The challenges we've faced this year are actually less than we've faced in prior years," Kinsella said.

"We've made dramatic progress compared to where we were with some of these challenges a few years ago," Cashwell said.

Miller said Henrico County Public Schools employees, including teachers and facilities staff, need to band together and demand a collective bargaining contract.

"We should be collectively bargaining for temperature guidelines, competitive wages for maintenance and facilities staff, and for a standard operating procedure for what administrators need to do when temperatures exceed the maximum or minimum," Miller said.

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