Two Country Club Hills schools are experiencing heating problems, and parents said the buildings have been without heat since students returned Monday from Thanksgiving break.
Sequoia Williams, a parent with children at both affected schools, Southwood Middle School and Meadowview Intermediate in Country Club Hills District 160, said crews are still working to repair the heating systems. Williams said she first learned of the heating issue Monday from her son, who attends Southwood Middle.
“I was at Southwood Middle School for a meeting, and I found out through my son that he tripped over his feet to come tell me,” Williams said. “He was banging on the door, and I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ He said, ‘Mom, I need to talk to you now. There’s no heat. There’s no heat in the building.’”
Williams said she immediately notified the district, but did not receive a response. She then notified other parents, and said she and others have called the schools and district since Monday. Williams said some parents have been keeping their students home as temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Tuesday.
“Yesterday, they said the heat was working. And the parents came and asked their kids, ‘Was the heat really on?’ The kids said, ‘No, it was not. It was freezing,’ and they still had to wear coats yesterday,” Williams said.
When the Daily Southtown reached out to the District 160 Superintendent Duane Meighan Wednesday, he shared an email sent to parents:
“This week, the school district became aware of a small number of classrooms in two buildings where the temperatures were not within normal limits,” the email stated. “The school district has been working with local HVAC contractors to mitigate those few classrooms to ensure that all equipment was operating properly. All classrooms in all three schools are at the required room temperature of 68 degrees or higher.”
Williams said the email was only shared after she and other concerned parents gathered outside the school district’s office Wednesday morning seeking answers as to when the heating issue will be resolved.
“It was more than one or two or three rooms, the whole building was out,” she said. “They’re not being transparent with us.”
Williams said there have been heating issues at Meadowview Intermediate since before Thanksgiving.
In a schoolwide email sent to parents Monday, Southwood Principal Philip Bazil acknowledged HVAC issues and said student are allowed to wear coats in classrooms until the heat is restored.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
