After reports of sweltering classrooms, with students using handheld fans to stay cool, one of San Antonio’s largest school districts is speaking out to set the record straight. While there’s some truth to the claims, with air conditioners struggling to keep a couple of classrooms cool, there may be less to the story.
A concerned citizen reached out to MySA, reporting that a malfunctioning air conditioner left classrooms in the 80s. They say students were encouraged to bring handheld fans to stay cool. But a Northside Independent School District official painted a different picture.
“We had some minor issues at Pat Neff [Middle School] with a room or two not cooling correctly,” an NISD spokesperson told MySA. “The issue has been assessed by maintenance crews and we are waiting for necessary parts. Everything else at the school has been working and cooling.”
Essentially, the district says one class was relocated to another building after temperatures began to climb. Pointing to the school district’s whopping 130 campuses, officials say maintenance crews are constantly monitoring air conditioning units to ensure classrooms remain at a safe temperature.
With afternoon highs soaring into the triple digits this week and the heat index reaching a sweltering 107 degrees in San Antonio, the need for consistent cooling across campuses is apparent. But NISD officials vow that campus crews are on top of the job.