City Officials: Temperatures At St. Raphael School Now Cooler After Being Nearly 100 Degrees

A day after city officials said classroom temperatures at St. Raphael school were close to 100 degrees, they said the school was now cooler, and in compliance with city code.

City inspectors, prompted by calls from concerned parents, checked on the school last Friday, then again on Tuesday and Wednesday.

City ordinance requires that temperatures inside schools be at or below 89 degree. On Friday, the school was in compliance, but when inspectors checked on the school again on Tuesday, classroom temperatures were between 90 to 98 degrees, Bill Stern, a city buildings official, said.

One parent said that when she picked up her son from school last week, he was nauseated and his back was drenched in sweat. Another parent said that private St. Raphael was a good school and worth the monthly tuition, which parents said is between $350 to $375 a month. Still, the same parent said she was concerned about the hot temperatures.

“I had to keep my little boy home because he was just physically tired and since I’m fighting a cold, I figured that’s what was going on. But he also mentioned to me ‘mommy, the minute I get into the classroom, I start sweating. It is so hot,” the parent, who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation against her son, said.

The city on Tuesday gave the school 24 hours to hire a contractor and evaluate the school’s air conditioning system. There were air conditioning repair trucks on campus on Wednesday, but when ABC-7 asked school officials for an interview, they denied the request and would only said they had no comment.

One parent said the problem didn’t seem to be extreme. “He’s complained it’s been a little bit hot, but he hasn’t told us it’s affected his studies or anything,” said Steven Mendez, referring to his son, who is a student at the catholic school.

A student and her parents on Wednesday showed ABC-7 a letter the school sent out with students. Signed by the principal, it stated the school would be closed until Tuesday while they addressed the problem with the cooling system.

Stern said that on Wednesday, temperatures in the classrooms were between 70 and 80 degrees. Even though, at last check, the school was in compliance, Stern said the city will continue to follow-up in the coming days. If temperatures inside the school rise to 90 degrees or above when the students are in class, the city can fine the school $2000 each day the school is not in compliance.

St. Raphael is a Pre-Kinder through 8th grade campus.