KCS superintendent responds to parent’s HVAC concerns

KANNAPOLIS — On Wednesday, the HVAC unit in the 6th-grade building at Kannapolis Middle School failed. A parent contacted the school system concerned about student safety in a building without air conditioning on a day when temperatures soared into the 90s, as well as what they described as a lack of communication. In an email shared with the Salisbury Post, the superintendent addressed both concerns.
Writing to the school system in an email, Austin Ramsay said, “The building was without air conditioning for the entire school day while outside temperatures climbed to approximately 98 degrees. Parents were not notified of the situation until after school had already been dismissed. This meant our children spent the entire day in a hot building with little to no air circulation, without parents being given the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether their child should remain at school.”
In the email, Ramsay called the lack of communication “completely unacceptable,” adding that parents should have been notified as soon as it became clear that the air conditioning “would not be restored within a reasonable amount of time.”
Ramsay’s email said the school system should have acted alternatively; whether that “meant relocating students to another air-conditioned area, dismissing them or giving parents the option to pick up their children, there should have been an appropriate contingency plan in place.”
Superintendent Dr. Sara Newell responded to parent Ramsey’s email in correspondence that was also shared with the Salisbury Post.
“I understand why learning about the issue at the end of the school day, particularly given the outdoor temperatures, would be concerning as a parent,” Newell wrote, before offering some additional context regarding the district’s response. “As soon as the HVAC issue was identified, Cabarrus County Maintenance was contacted and began actively working to diagnose and repair the system.”
According to Newell, throughout the day, school and district staff continued to monitor conditions in the building and the well-being of students and staff.
“While the building was certainly warmer than we would like, our operations staff were on site throughout the day to ensure conditions did not reach unsafe levels and that students or staff were not experiencing heat-related concerns,” Newell wrote.
The superintendent also addressed Ramsey’s concerns regarding communication.
“Even when our maintenance team is actively addressing a problem, and we believe students can safely remain in the building, families should receive timely information when a facility issue is significant enough to affect the learning environment,” Newell wrote. “Earlier communication would have provided families with important context about what was occurring and what steps were being taken. We can improve in that area.”
Per Newell’s email, the HVAC system has been repaired and is working again.
“The building was able to cool overnight, and the system is operating and maintaining cool air today,” Newell wrote. “This was an emergency repair, with new parts arriving today for a final repair.”
Newell said that the experience provided a chance to strengthen KCA response procedures.
“When a significant HVAC or similar facility issue occurs, our response should include not only immediate contact with maintenance and ongoing monitoring of building conditions, but also a clear determination about when families need to be notified and what contingency steps may be necessary if conditions cannot be adequately maintained,” Newell wrote.
In response, Ramsey thanked Newell for “taking accountability and acknowledging where improvements can be made.”