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SAN BERNARDINO - It's bad enough that it was 98 degrees outside at
the end of the school day at North Park Elementary School.
But inside the classrooms, there was no relief because though the
school has relatively new air-conditioning units, they often stop
working.
"Sometimes we get hot and my friends start getting bloody noses,"
said fifth-grader David Quintero, sitting in his mother's car
after
school.
The units were bought in and installed five years ago, and they're
not broken but need to be reset whenever there is a dip in the Southern
California Edison electric grid, said Linda Hill, San Bernardino
City Unified School District spokeswoman. Maintenance crews have been
to the school about 10 times since the school year began July 6.
"This summer has been hotter than previous
summers," Hill said.
With this effect on the air-conditioning units, students have
brought in water bottles, which they are allowed to keep inside and
outside of class to stay hydrated. Hill also said parents brought in
fans to help keep the kids cool.
"The school is acting as responsibly as possible to make sure that
all doorways are kept closed and students are allowed to keep water and
water bottles," Hill said.
Several parents on Wednesday complained about the heat and
unreliable air conditioning at the school.
"It's terrible," said Gloria Nava Quintero, David's mother.
"The kids cannot really concentrate because it's too hot."
Deborah Flowers said her second-grade daughter told her of the
problem last week.
"She said it's just really hot because the air's off," she said.
"It's
really hard to concentrate."
Flowers added that her daughter started second-grade on July 5 and
the classes then were really hot.
After technicians reset the air-conditioning unit, it take a little
while for the building to reach appropriate temperatures.
Hill said that the situation is being handled and this is not
happening all the time.
"It has not been a daily
occurrence," said Hill. | 
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