Lakeside Elementary to start the school year with no AC

Aug 17, 2023, 7:21 AM | Updated: 7:36 am

Each school gets to decide how it will spend its share of $106 million from the state's school trust lands. (Shutterstock)

(Shutterstock)

BY CLAYRE SCOTT

Associate Producer

WEST POINT, Utah — Though the start of the school year always comes with surprises, Lakeside Elementary students starting their first day with no air conditioning wasn’t supposed to be one of them. It’s expected to be a hot few days with temperatures reaching the high 90s today, hitting 90 by early afternoon.

Davis School District spokesperson Chris Williams said a mechanical failure is to blame, and that it could take some time to repair.

“When [our crews] went to turn on the air conditioning on Aug. 7, they discovered the circuit board on their chiller had been fried, just went kaput.”

He said the school ordered the part, but circuit boards aren’t something you come by very quickly.

“It’s going to take until probably mid-September for that to come in,” he explained.

To combat heat in the classrooms, the school will be running fans to push the cool morning air throughout the building. Williams said they also had 20 portable swamp coolers brought in to spread throughout the halls.

“Now we’re looking for some more to help keep the temperatures as cool as possible,” he said.

He said parents in the area even volunteered coolers from their own homes to keep things cool for students.

“Which speaks volumes about the community out at Lakeside,” he said. “They’re fantastic.”

The school encouraged parents to dress their kids in light clothing and make sure they have a water bottle with them on the way out the door in the morning. Additionally, Williams said they’ll be letting students out at 1:30 p.m., once the heat gets more uncomfortable in the afternoon.

“It’s a good thing that we’ve got early outs for all of our elementary schools, but in particular for Lakeside.”