CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Parents of students at T.G. Allen Elementary School are frustrated after learning two air conditioning units were not working on campus. Several of those parents called our newsroom to emphasize their concern as the school year began on Monday.
Cissy Torres said she noticed how warm a classroom was last week when she met her daughter’s teacher.
“So then comes yesterday, she [my daughter] told me they had been making paper fans to cool off, and she says, ‘Mom, it’s very hot in there,' " Torres said.
Torres tried getting answers from the school’s principal but was not told until Wednesday that the air conditioning units would be fixed soon. As a parent, Torres said she wants to ensure her daughter will be safe and comfortable when she sends her to school.
“I’m frustrated as a parent, and I’m upset with them because my daughter is my first priority, and I’m going to advocate for her, whether they like it or not. Those kids shouldn’t be sitting in the heat because they’re not. They have a/c in their offices," Torres added.
Manuela Flores shared the same frustration. Her granddaughter is also in one of the classrooms without proper air conditioning.
“I was very upset because it’s so hot out here, and for them not to be in a/c, I thought they would be protected," Flores said. "They’re supposed to be protected in school. They could have a heat stroke in the room.”
CCISD released this statement to the KRIS 6 newsroom and parents of students:
"T.G. Allen experienced the outage of two air conditioning units affecting six classrooms. To increase the circulation of cool air, the school placed fans in the doorways of two classrooms on the first floor and four classrooms on the second floor, with the school security officer actively monitoring these open areas. There were fans inside the classrooms as well. The rooms have maintained an average temperature of 73 degrees. We thank our staff, students and families for their patience and wish everyone a great school year."
Corpus Christi Independent School District said the second unit was expected to be repaired by the end of Wednesday.
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