LAUSD struggling to keep aging A/C units on in some classrooms as temps continue to spike
With temps in the San Fernando Valley topping 100 degrees, even by lunchtime, the Los Angeles Unified School District has struggled to keep some of its aging air conditioning units from failing at area schools.
At Sutter Middle School in Winnetka, parents received an alert from the principal that several AC units in multiple building on campus were not working, and that four classrooms had to be relocated.
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"Sick of photo opps. It's brutal out here in LDNW," one teacher tweeted in response to a photo posted by the superintendent.
The teacher included a photo of thermostat inside his classroom, which was registering 91 degrees even though it was set at 67 degrees.
At least one parent was ready with water when he picked his kids up from school.
"I pretty much have the air conditioning running so they can get some cool air and they can drink their water slowly," parent Joseph Maklin told CBSLA.
District officials said they have nearly 3,000 open service calls for HVAC systems at its schools, that some 1,900 classrooms are impacted and more than 900 portable AC units have been brought in. Additionally, 39 classrooms have had to be relocated.
In a statement to CBSLA, a district spokesperson said:
"Los Angeles Unified continues to work aggressively to resolve air conditioning issues at every school...The safety and well-being of our students remains a top priority."
When it's this hot outside, LAUSD says it's still up to individual principals whether kids can eat lunch or take recess outside. It's also up to individual school sites whether they want to cancel after school sports, although it's advised that games be pushed to later in the evening and the intensity of practices be scaled back.
