DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County elementary school dealing with air conditioning problems says classrooms are cooled off for the students first day on Monday.
Channel 2 Action News first reported on the A/C issues at Kingsley Elementary School in Dunwoody on Friday. Parents said it was 85 degrees in the classrooms when they went to the school’s open house.
Workers installed two portable 40-ton air conditioner units to cool off the building. In a letter sent to parents Sunday, school officials said temperatures have been holding steady.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“Your comfort and safety remain our top priorities. The Operations Team will continue to monitor the HVAC system’s performance throughout the week and provide updates as needed. We have plans in place to manage any rooms that may become warm during the day. When visiting campus, please help us by closing classroom doors behind you, as our hallways are not air-conditioned,” Dr. Tyra Harris-Thompson said.
District officials said the air conditioner units will be there until permanent repairs can be made to the building HVAC systems.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Hurricane Debby to make landfall early Monday, warnings issued in south GA
- Hurricane Debby: Storm could be ‘multimillion dollar event,’ GEMA director says
- Back 2 School: State’s biggest school districts return to classroom today
Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was at the school Monday, where administrators brought in extra fans.
Kawtar Kandil dropped her two kids off at school Monday morning, but said she’ll pick them up early.
“I don’t feel like I’m comfortable with my kids staying all day like that,” she said. “They’re doing what they can, but I hope the county fixes it as soon as possible.”
Washington spoke to DeKalb County Schools Chief Operating Officer about the issue on Monday morning.
“We have an older air conditioning system and we’ve been trying to maintain that,” Erick Hofstetter said. “Parts are getting harder to find and re-wire.”
He said the district is working on a permanent fix.
Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes spoke with several concerned parents on Friday. Katy Lucey said she loves the Dunwoody school, but that it has had issues with heating and cooling for a few years now.
“We’ve been asking for a new HVAC since 2019,” she said. “We’re a smaller school. We’re a Title 1 school, and so we just want to make sure we get the same treatment as all the other elementary schools in DeKalb County.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
