HOUSTON HEIGHTS – Harvard Elementary School has dealt with extreme heat over the first two weeks of classes due to issues with the school’s HVAC system. Now, the students’ parents have run out of patience, and they are demanding answers.
Reporter Bryce Newberry covered the situation at Harvard on KPRC 2 News at 10 Thursday night.
On Friday, the Harvard PTA released an open letter to the community, which can be found here.
In the letter, PTA President Anar Abasov addresses the issues with the school and requests a community meeting with Houston ISD.
“It is important to clarify that the purpose of this letter is not to place blame but to focus on the facts and work collectively toward a solution that ensures our children’s health, safety, and educational well-being,” the opening paragraph of the letter read.
After describing the current conditions at the school, many of which were also brought up when KPRC 2 spoke to Harvard parents, the PTA called on the district to set up a meeting with adequate notice.
“We ask for clear and transparent communication regarding the challenges we face, the steps being taken to resolve them, the solutions explored to date, the expected timeline, and any uncertainties that may remain,” the letter read.
Harvard Elementary School is Houston’s oldest school and celebrated its 125th birthday last September. Despite the school’s historic significance, temperature issues have become a recurring theme on the campus.
Back in January, families were told to send their kids to school bundled up in big coats when the school didn’t have properly functioning central heat amid freezing temperatures in the Houston area.
KPRC 2 reported at the time the district had to bring in portable heaters.
Eight months later, the school is dealing with uncomfortable conditions on the other side of the thermometer.
The school has already commented on the issues. In a message sent out to Harvard families on Aug. 18, the school’s principal explained that a “compressor blew,” so the school had to use a temporary one. The principal told families in an Aug. 16 note that she had made “ongoing requests the past two years to address our HVAC issues.”
Thursday night, HISD told KPRC 2 that some of the systems are simply old and need attention, but when issues arise, campus leaders try to move students to cooler rooms to make the environment more comfortable.