Why are so many schools closing because of heat? What’s behind all the AC problems?

A major heat wave in central North Carolina closed in on the Triangle this week. Combine that with widespread HVAC issues across Wake County schools, and that leaves students, parents and staff left to face early dismissals and closures.

In all, 10 schools in Wake County have operated on an adjusted schedule this week because of HVAC systems requiring repairs, spokeswoman Sara Clark told The News & Observer. The school year for traditional calendar students began on Aug. 28, just 11 days ago.

The Triangle experienced a high of 100 degrees at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Thursday — for the second day in a row, — with a heat index of 100 to 105 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Several schools on Wednesday and Thursday released students early due to air conditioning systems not working properly. Apex Friendship High School was closed for the second day in a row on Friday. Millbrook High and Wake Forest Elementary were also closed on Friday.

Two schools have already missed full days this school year and will be able to use banked days to account for the time missed, according to Clark.

Here’s what to know:

Why are HVAC repairs in schools taking so long?

School administrators have blamed maintenance staffing vacancies and HVAC parts shortages for conditions that have affected schools.

A staffing shortage is a factor — WCPSS is experiencing a “high number” of vacancies in HVAC and chiller technician positions, and has contracted outside vendors in the meantime, Clark said.

“Some of these (HVAC) repairs involved the ordering and replacing of parts,” Clark said. “Some parts require a longer lead time for ordering which can delay repairs.”

Half of the 5,800 emergency work orders received in the past 12 months by the maintenance and operations department at WCPSS were for HVAC concerns, The N&O previously reported. There are an additional 2,300 “urgent” work orders that were also sent to the HVAC shop.

Since August, the concern has been shared with school board members by administrators.

Nate Slavik, who is the senior director of maintenance and operations for Wake schools, expected the issue to result in early releases when traditional calendar school classes started.

There’s a 40% vacancy rate in the shop, which means there are seven open HVAC technician positions, including one for the lone chiller technician who retired after more than 30 years of service.

“Seven vacant positions is huge when, particularly this time of year in the last couple of three weeks, the phone calls, the texts, the emails are coming left and right for problems with HVAC work,” Slavik told school board members.

Teachers at more than 50 Wake County schools complained last month about malfunctioning air conditioning units. The issue caused some schools to close early this summer because of extreme heat, The N&O previously reported.

Wake County teachers on a private Facebook group have compiled a list of HVAC complaints at more than 25% of the district’s 198 schools.

How do high temperatures affect schools?

An additional factor is the historic triple-digit heat.

The U.S. is experiencing a record heat wave at the same time schools are starting back up across the country.

The Triangle isn’t alone — hot weather has resulted in trouble for school districts nationwide.

During the first week of September, schools in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Massachusetts had schools close or dismiss students early because of the heat, CBS News reported.

The air temperature recorded Thursday at RDU by climatologists reached 100 degrees for the second consecutive day.

Wednesday registered a high of 102, making it the hottest day of the year in the region.

This is the first time on record that RDU has reached at least 100 degrees multiple times in a single September, state climatologist Corey Davis told The News & Observer in an email.

The Thursday heat index of 105 degrees in North Carolina also set a new record for the month of September, with a high of 100 degrees, according to the State Climate Office of North Carolina.

A record-breaking heat index (an indication of how hot it feels outside due to high humidity) of 115 degrees was recorded in Raleigh last month.

High heat indices make outdoor sports activities at schools dangerous.

“Certainly having temperatures this hot this late in the year is concerning for anyone who has to be outdoors, such as high school and college sports teams having outdoor practice sessions,” Davis said.

Which schools have been affected?

There has been at least one school each day in Wake County to close or dismiss early due to air conditioning issues since traditional classes started on Aug. 28.

While Wake schools are the ones primarily being affected, at least one school in both Orange County and Johnston County released students early for the same reasons.

On Friday, Apex Friendship was closed for the second straight day.

On Thursday, the following high schools released students early:

▪ Millbrook High School in Raleigh.

▪ Apex Friendship High School.

▪ Knightdale High School.

▪ South Garner High School.

▪ Willow Spring High School closed for the day.

The following elementary schools also released students early or closed this week:

▪ Wake Forest Elementary School.

▪ Wake Forest Charter Academy.

▪ Central Elementary School in Hillsborough released students early on Wednesday.

▪ Spring Creek Elementary School in Wayne County closed on Wednesday due to HVAC issues.

Which schools will close on Friday?

As of 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Apex Friendship High School was closed for the second day in a row. Millbrook High and Wake Forest Elementary were also closed for the day.