HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — As students and staff kicked off the new school year, multiple Henrico County school buildings were dealing with air conditioning issues, leading to complaints from parents about uncomfortable conditions.
Fatima Marsh's child attends one of the impacted facilities, Dumbarton Elementary— where Marsh serves as president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
"Dumbarton does a great job with welcoming the students, and in the midst of the excitement, you still want to be comfortable, and you want to be able to focus," Marsh said.
But when Marsh entered the building on Monday, she said she was troubled by what she observed.
“The AC still wasn't fully functioning because there was an industrial sized fan in the front office. Staff, again, were perspiring, and it just led me to be concerned for not only the students, but also teachers and staff. No one should be working in those conditions," Marsh said.
According to an email the principal sent parents last week, "air conditioning concerns... prompted the addition of portable cooling units" in classrooms and main areas as repair work was being done to the HVAC system.
Marsh air conditioning problems didn't appear to be new as she was aware of "an ongoing issue since the end of last school year.”
That said, she applauded the school administration for their transparency with parents and called on central office to ensure the AC would be fully fixed as soon as possible.
“I think from the Henrico County School leadership, I would love to see communication on timeline. I would like to know what their alternatives are," Marsh said. "I just want to know that this is a priority."
Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) spokesperson Eileen Cox said the chiller at Dumbarton has been repaired but a "cluster of rooms" is still warmer. She added spot coolers will remain on-site as temperatures are monitored.
This wasn't the only Henrico school that had an AC dilemma at the start of the school year.
Lakeside Elementary closed on Monday for HVAC repairs due to a schoolwide issue. However, Cox said it has been fixed.
John Rolfe Middle's AC was not properly functioning in portions of the building, but Cox said that too has been rectified and the building is now cooling down.
And Henry Ward Elementary is currently experiencing a schoolwide humidity issue. Cox said fans are on-site, and coolers are on the way to the building.
"HCPS Facilities staff and our partner contractors are working extended hours and weekends to address needs at our schools. Unfortunately, the availability of parts and delays in the delivery of necessary supplies can be significant barriers to completing repairs as quickly as we would like," Cox said in a statement.
She said decisions to close a school, like what happened with Lakeside, are done on a case-by-case basis and consider several factors including safety, how long repairs will take, the ability to implement temporary cooling measures, and weather forecasts. In all cases, Cox said temporary measures are put in place including fans, spot coolers, giving students frequent water breaks, and relocations when necessary.
"Henrico County Public Schools has approximately 500 large HVAC systems across the County. Scheduled maintenance of HVAC systems and repairs to individual units happen year-round. However, as you would imagine, problems are more likely to occur during extreme summer heat and humidity when HVAC systems run more frequently," she said. "Whenever an issue is reported, HCPS Facilities staff work independently and with HVAC companies to assess the issue, obtain parts, and make repairs as quickly as possible, prioritizing schools with the most significant issues. For example, a building without any air conditioning will be prioritized over a school with a single hallway or group of classrooms without AC. Whenever possible, work is done simultaneously at multiple locations."
For Marsh, a comfortable learning environment with minimal distractions is paramount to success.
"I think if we can address the temperature, we might have better outcomes for not only our students, but our teachers and staff, who work really hard to make the school year magical," Marsh said.
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