School With Broken AC More Like a Sauna for Middle-schoolers in Northwest Dallas

A broken air-conditioning system has made for a hot first week of school for students and staff at Francisco F. Medrano Middle School in northwest Dallas.The middle school has been without AC for weeks, and district officials were hoping to have repairs finished by the start of the school year on Monday.But several issues delayed the repairs, said Robyn Harris, a spokeswoman for Dallas ISD. As part of the 2008 bond plan, new DISD schools like Medrano are cooled by eco-friendly geothermal wells instead of traditional HVAC systems, said Miguel Solis, another DISD board member. There's a leak in the well, making for costly and complicated repairs. Also, the work can only be completed overnight, and to do so, the AC system must be shut down, Solis said. In the morning, it takes time to re-cool classrooms, while others don’t have working AC at all. "The kids are doing fine," Solis said, "but it's clear to them that this is not how school is supposed to start."  Continue reading...