Parents raise concerns over ongoing HVAC issues at Houston ISD's Briargrove Elementary
Parents raise concerns over ongoing HVAC issues at Briargrove Elementary
Parents at Briargrove Elementary are raising concerns about ongoing air conditioning problems after several days of HVAC issues at the Houston ISD campus.
HOUSTON - Parents at Briargrove Elementary are raising concerns about ongoing air conditioning problems after several days of HVAC issues at the Houston ISD campus.
Parents express concerns
What they're saying:
One parent who was afraid to speak out sent over information about how long this has been going on and the impact.
Messages sent to families show the school reported HVAC outages on Aug. 24, Aug. 25, Aug. 26 and again on Aug. 31.
In a message sent Monday morning, Briargrove's principal told families the school was still experiencing HVAC issues and that the district’s HVAC team was working to address the problem. The message said students were safe and comfortable and that no early pickup was needed at that time.
However, a separate message sent by a teacher Monday morning told families it was "extremely hot" inside the school and said hot air was blowing from the vents instead of cold air. The teacher also encouraged students to bring water bottles to stay hydrated.
One parent who contacted FOX 26 claims temperatures inside portions of the school have reached approximately 107 degrees. FOX 26 has not independently verified that temperature and has asked HISD to confirm what temperatures have been recorded inside the building.
The parent also said the campus had an early dismissal last week because of the HVAC issues.
After the parent declined to participate in the interview out of fear, FOX 26 spoke Monday with 10-year-old Madison, a fifth-grade student at Briargrove Elementary, as she left school with her father. Her father said he came to pick her up after she began feeling sick from the heat.
Madison told FOX 26 that it was simply too hot inside the school.
Questions for HISD
The other side:
FOX 26 has covered similar HVAC concerns at other HISD campuses, including Oates Elementary and Neff Elementary, and has asked the district how many campuses are currently experiencing air conditioning or HVAC problems.
FOX 26 also asked HISD how long the problems at Briargrove have been going on, what is causing them, what temperatures have been recorded inside the school, what is being done to keep students and staff cool and when repairs are expected to be complete.
FOX 26 will update this story when Houston ISD responds.
The Source: The information in this article comes from conversations with parents of students and messages from school staff.