SMITHFIELD, Va. (WVEC) — The first and second days of class were pushed back for one local school.
Westside Elementary School in Isle of Wight County was closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to emergency AC repairs.
During a routine check of all buildings on Monday in preparation for the first day of school, the Isle of Wight County Schools' Maintenance Department discovered that the cooling tower for Westside Elementary's air conditioning system had failed sometime late Sunday/early Monday.
At Westside Elementary, like many schools, it does not have windows that open. The elevated temperature and humidity in the building, in conjunction with no air circulation, creates an unbearable and unhealthy environment for students and staff.
According to the school, the AC part was shipped from Pennsylvania and delivered at noon Wednesday — with installation finishing by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The school district sent a statement out on Wednesday reading in part, “we appreciate the patience of all the Westside families and staff and are excited to start the new school year on Thursday.”
The days will not need to be made up because the days were already built into the school calendar.
On Thursday, parent Kimberly Obranovich said "it’s always a shock when they’re going to close school, especially on the first day. I don’t think we’ve ever had that happen before.”
On the first day of class, parents and kids came to school with mixed emotions in the morning.
“Obviously they can’t be in the school with no air conditioning. So, I’m glad they go the problem fixed," said parent Donald Haeberle.
“I’m happy that he’s happy to go back to school," said parent Chester Alimbuyal.
"Excited and nervous at the same time," said student Molly Obranovich.
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13News Now App.