Update: Kansas schools work to fix A/C, wait to see if closures affect rest of school year
Horace Mann school in Wichita and McPherson High School canceled classes Tuesday because rooms inside the building reached 80 degrees.
Monday’s high temperature was 106 degrees, tracking with the scorching heat that has most of Kansas under an excessive heat warning until Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.
McPherson sent students home at 10:45 a.m. Monday when classroom temperatures rose, according to administrative assistant Toni Cabezas. Maintenance staff found that the chiller motor wasn’t working.
Parts to repair the system had to be shipped overnight. Work started early Tuesday morning. with plans to complete it Tuesday afternoon. Staff hope to welcome students back to the building Wednesday, according to a news release.
Even though students took the day off Tuesday, McPherson had their high school staff participate in training at the community building.
In Wichita, Horace Mann also dealt with a broken chiller. On Monday, temperatures in the building climbed, but students and staff were able to stay for the entire day.
A message was sent out in the middle of the day alerting parents of the 80-degree temps indoors. Some parents came to pick up their kids afterward, but most students stayed, Wichita spokeswoman Susan Arensman said.
The repairs started Monday, and continued through Tuesday. Without a working HVAC system, the building was too warm for students and staff.
“We want to make sure that our school community can work and learn in our building in the best-and safest-possible conditions,” said Joel Escarpita, principal of Horace Mann, in a news release.
It’s hard to say how this cancellation will affect the rest of the school year for Horace Mann, Arensman said. The number of snow days used will determine if extra time needs to be added.
“That’ll all be determined later,” Arensman said. “We have to have so many hours in school and in class. This shouldn’t have any impact on it whatsoever right now, but depending on what happens later in the year it may.”
McPherson and Horace Mann planned to tell families by the end of Tuesday if school would be back in session Wednesday.
Skelly Elementary School in El Dorado had to cancel school Monday because of an issue with a chiller as well. Employees discovered the problem on Sunday and finished repairs the next day.
However, the El Dorado district has announced that it has canceled its Back to School Kickoff/Jamboree that was scheduled for Friday. Even though the excessive heat warning is expected to be lifted at 10 p.m. Thursday, officials think it would be too hot for the event.
Similarly, “Derby Night Lights,” the all-ages football season kickoff in Derby, was supposed to take over Panther Stadium on Thursday, but the week’s high temperatures canceled it, according to a post from the Derby athletic department.
