It’s back to school today for kids and teens across Pelham. And there’s good news for youngsters at Colonial, Siwanoy and Prospect Hill elementary schools, who normally have to suffer on sweltering days in June and September: new air conditioners have been installed.
The Pelham Union Free School District installed 16 air conditioning units at the schools in recent weeks–four each at Prospect and Siwanoy, and eight at Colonial. While the new units won’t guarantee that every classroom will be a comfortable 72 degrees, the additional cold air is expected to eliminate the need for closing the three elementary schools on hot days.
The arrival of the new units–a full year before the district plans to install central air conditioning at the schools–is the result of a partnership between the PTAs of the three elementary schools and the district.
At a Board of Education meeting in June, several parents from Colonial urged the district to install some air conditioners at the older schools. They pointed out that the heat in the schools on sultry days led to students being herded into one of the few air-conditioned rooms, where any attempt to continue teaching or instruction was doomed to failure. Or worse, the heat resulted in school closures.
Following that meeting, the district and the PTAs came up with a plan for the Pelham School system to buy and install 16 units in time for the first day of school, while the parent groups put together a plan for a fundraiser to pay the district back. School Superintendent Cheryl Champ updated the Board of Education about the progress of this effort at the board’s August 26 meeting.
“This should position us so we don’t have to close school for heat again,” said Champ. “That was tough for all of us. I was just appreciative to these parents for stepping forward and being willing to roll up their sleeves and help.”
Board of Education member Kathryn Cohen praised the level of parental involvement in the matter.
“I really have to hand it to our parent community and acknowledge them for [being] the movers and shakers and doers that we have… Our parents see and identify an issue, and they go above and beyond to fix it.”
Cohen also thanked Champ and the district for collaborating in this effort. According to Champ, once the new central AC systems are installed next year in the elementary schools, the new units now at Colonial, Siwanoy and Prospect Hill can be repurposed for the high school.
Cohen applauded the work on both sides. “So, thank you too for the partnership from our parents and our district to make this happen for our kids, and we will hopefully not see them home from school when it’s hot.”