Students and teachers are raising concerns about inconsistent air conditioning in the school, with some classrooms and hallways feeling freezing while others are uncomfortably warm. The temperature swings have become one of the most common complaints during the school day.
“It’s all broken into different parts…,” building and tech staff member Tyler Stein explained. “It’s not like your house where one system [controls] the whole house. It’s all separate.”
Each section of the building has its own equipment, making it a disorganized system. If one part isn’t working properly, it can throw off the temperature in whole areas of the school.
On top of that, the system is controlled by the county, not directly by school staff. That means building employees can’t just walk over to a thermostat and adjust it. Instead, if there are any problems, they have to be investigated, reported and passed through the chain of command.
Students definitely notice the differences day to day.
“At the top it’s funky, and it causes people to smell and then we just come downstairs and it’s cool,” junior Leah Ayele said.
The unpredictability also makes it harder to concentrate. Going from freezing in one class to overheating in the next makes it hard for students to adjust and start their day.
“It feels like the AC has a mind of its own,” senior Lucy Butera said. “One class I’m freezing, and the next I’m sweating, it makes it hard to get started on work.”
The building’s AC system is complicated, and while fixes are possible, they depend on larger repairs and county-level intervention. In the meantime, students and teachers are doing what they can to adapt. Hoodies, layers and patience will continue to be the norm until the system runs more predictable and controlled.
