Local

Clay County schools pushing for A/C on all buses as some students 'sweat it out'

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Jessica Flamino walked her two boys to Middleburg Elementary School for their first day Tuesday.

The mom said it’s only a matter of time before they’re riding the bus.

She told Action News Jax, ”This will be my first year every letting my kids ride the bus, so it’s actually pretty nerve-wracking. I’m hoping that it all goes smooth.”

She said even though it’s short, she’d like the ride to be air-conditioned.

Air condition would definitely make it more comfortable since it’s over 100 degrees, feels like temperature,” described Flamino.

Tuesday, the Action News Jax First Alert Weather team forecasted ‘feels like’ temperatures up to 105 degrees in Clay County.

Derald Sweatt, the director of transportation at Clay County School’s said, “Its always been a safety concerns, but it seems like almost it’s hotter in a way.”

According to Sweatt 35% of the district’s 240 buses don’t have A/C.

He believes it’s one of the reasons they’re 15 drivers short this school year.

TRENDING: 

He said workers are going to counties with air-conditioned buses.

“Sitting on a bus for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon at this point is almost unsafe at this point,’ Sweatt explained.

He said it will cost approximately $1.7 million get cooling unites in the rest of the fleet by March 2020.

Flamino said the sooner the better.

She told Action News Jax, “That would be perfect because it is hot and it would be very hot for them.”

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories

Download WJAX Apps