As students headed back to class in Duval County on Monday, some classrooms were hotter than others.
A parent told Action News Jax the air conditioning unit in a first-grade special needs classroom at Loretto Elementary School is not working.
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That parent said Monday the school has known about the issue since orientation last week. He said he even set up a portable A/C unit in the classroom to try and help the students.
“After I got that air conditioner set up, I was completely soaked from how hot it was in that classroom. It’s not safe for those children to be in that class room right now.”
The parent asked not to be on camera, but he maintains the students cannot be in that classroom.
“It’s a classroom full of special needs children and it’s completely unacceptable,” he said.
We spoke to Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier about the issue at Loretto Elementary early Monday morning.
“I know that some of our classrooms did not have air conditioning. We were aware this morning starting at 5 a.m. We now have someone actively looking at the air conditioning systems across the whole district,” Bernier said.
However, the parent we spoke with said the A/C wasn’t working when he and others went to orientation on Friday.
“We came to the orientation, and it was around noon and it was well over 100 degrees in the classroom,” he said.
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We reached out to DCPS to see what they are doing for the students in those classrooms.
The district said affected students have been relocated to different rooms with working A/C.
The principal of Loretto Elementary also sent a message to parents on Monday morning saying they are addressing the situation and doing “everything they can to keep students comfortable.”
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DCPS sent the following update to families on Tuesday about A/C in schools:
“As we begin this new school year, we do want to acknowledge the intermittent AC outages that have occurred at some schools across the district. We understand how concerning these situations can be for families, and we want you to know that we take these issues seriously.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain top priorities. When an air conditioning problem is reported, our dedicated HVAC team works diligently to make repairs as quickly as possible. In many cases, students may be temporarily relocated to cooler areas of the building while repairs are being completed to ensure a safe comfortable learning environment.
“As many of you may remember, Team Duval is home to some of the oldest schools in Florida. That is why voters approved the half-penny sales tax in 2020, providing funding to address deferred maintenance and rebuild or modernize more than 140 schools, including replacing and upgrading aging AC systems. We are actively working toward that goal and continue to make meaningful progress.
“If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to contact your school’s principal. Our principals are committed to working with families and district staff to ensure concerns are addressed quickly and appropriately.
“As always, thank you for your continued patience and support as we navigate the start of this new school year and continue investing in our schools.
“For a behind-the-scenes look at how HVAC issues are addressed across Team Duval, please watch this video.”
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