Students at Thomas Edison High School say some classrooms have been uncomfortably hot since school started earlier this month, raising questions about why cooling problems persist even after San Antonio ISD spent millions on HVAC upgrades.
Students told us that temperatures in some classrooms have been reading over 80 degrees, describing conditions as hot and humid, including in rooms with more than 30 students. One student said, “Specifically our fire class, we have that class right now.”
Students said the heat makes it difficult to focus on schoolwork. Another student said, “There’s so many things on your mind and you feel the heat and it’s like dang, I got to work and I got to work in this heat. And it’s just like, what do you do?” A student also described the impact in crowded classrooms, saying, “Sometimes there’s some classes a bunch of sweating kids, and it stinks in there a little bit, it’s humid and hot.”
San Antonio ISD officials said a combination of older buildings and triple-digit heat makes it challenging to keep some classrooms cool.
HVAC issues have been a problem at SAISD schools for years, including air-conditioning problems that have forced school closures and classroom changes.
When asked what adjustments the district has made, whether the issues students reported have been fixed, and how widespread the problem is, district officials did not answer questions about how many SAISD classrooms or which campuses are affected. However, the district said every campus has a plan in place when temperatures become a problem, including moving students to other spaces such as the library, cafeteria or gym.
The district said it has spent $95 million from the 2020 bond on HVAC upgrades. SAISD also said its priority is to maintain comfortable temperatures in the spaces where students spend their time.