Amid triple-digit temperatures, air conditioners are broken at two dozen FWISD schools

Silas Allen
Amanda McCoy/amccoy@star-telegram.com

More than two dozen campuses in the Fort Worth Independent School District started school Monday morning without air conditioning in parts of their buildings, district officials said.

Monday marked the first day of school in Fort Worth ISD. In a statement, district spokesman Cesar Padilla said about 25 campuses in the district reported HVAC issues due to extreme heat. School leaders relocated students from parts of the buildings without air conditioning to other areas that had functional HVAC systems, he said.

A staff member at Trimble Technical High School told the Star-Telegram that air conditioning was out in five classrooms and two offices in the building Monday morning. Air conditioning was out across the campus when teachers and staff came back last week to get ready for the school year, the staff member said. School maintenance crews fixed the outage in parts of the building last week, but it remained out in other areas Monday morning, the staff member said.

Earlier this year, the district’s school board approved $11 million to replace rooftop HVAC units at 22 schools.

“This strategic initiative reflects our dedication to enhancing the learning experience and ensuring the comfort and safety of all,” Padilla said.

Afternoon temperatures were expected to reach 100 degrees in Fort Worth, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office. Temperatures are expected to top out in the high 90s or low triple digits for the rest of the week.

Fort Worth ISD’s heat-related injury prevention guidelines encourage campus administrators to have students drink additional water before and after outdoor recess and P.E. on hot days. It notes that classrooms must be kept cool, and says that fans blowing warm air can lead to more heat injuries.

The following schools reported HVAC outages Monday:

  • Daggett Montessori School

  • North Side High School

  • Versia Williams Elementary School

  • Manuel Jara Elementary School

  • Meacham Middle School

  • Riverside Middle School

  • Oakhurst Elementary School

  • Springdale Elementary School

  • J.P. Elder Middle School

  • Diamond Hill Elementary School

  • Carter Riverside High School

  • Trimble Tech High School

  • North Hi Mount Elementary School

  • Forest Oak Middle School

  • Jacquet Middle School

  • Glen Park Elementary School

  • T.A. Sims Elementary School

  • Sagamore Hill Elementary School

  • S.S. Dillow Elementary School

  • Maude I. Logan Elementary School

  • Briscoe Elementary School

  • Mitchell Boulevard Elementary School

  • Dunbar High School

  • O.D. Wyatt High School

  • Overton Park Elementary School

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