Before Tulsa Public Schools welcomed students back in for classes, 2 News received several report from parents saying they had some concerns.
They found out some of the classrooms had no working A/C, which they were worried would affect their kids in temperatures that have been hitting above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some classrooms did have their A/C restored along with fans to help with airflow.
School officials said parents could also help their kids by having a more comfortable school day by providing them with enough water and electrolytes to stay hydrated as well as planning for prompt pick up and drop off times.
TPS Executive Director of Communications, Caroline Crouch, said the district is working to help with getting HVAC systems working again.
However, she said it’s a complicated issue because there are different problems causing the machinery to fail.
“Whether that’s a part that’s being replaced, a control system that needs to be updated, bringing fans into schools, bringing other air moving units into schools, portable air conditioners,” she said. I couldn’t give you a definitive timeline because I wouldn’t want to say a date and then have some sort of mechanical issue make that date incorrect, but I know they’re working as fast and as hard as they possibly can.
Crouch said families can help by asking families to stay updated on their social media accounts and subscribe to text alerts for more updated info on how students can stay safe.
You can text the word “yes” to 67587,” said Crouch. “That will ensure that all of those text messages are getting to you as appropriate for your student, your school location, and the activity that your student is involved in.
She said at this point, about 200 fans have been brought in to classrooms to help cool down the rooms.
Some of the classroom A/Cs have been restored since the start of the school year, with Crouch saying there was well over 200 work orders beforehand.
Now, she says there are around 180.
“That’s all across the district, all of our school sites, she said. We are working around the clock, literally, to get every single HVAC unit functioning as best it possibly can.”
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