Parents frustrated over air conditioning issues at Douglas County school

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - School leaders in Douglas County are hoping to get the air conditioning at one of the district's middle schools fixed quickly after it broke down in the middle of August.

Parents at Fairplay Middle School say they don't believe their students or teachers are in the best learning environment while they deal with the heat.

With temperatures expected to get up to nearly 100 degrees on Thursday, parents have been frustrated with how repairs have gone.

"I'm not unreasonable. I know, say, if it broke last week, you're trying to get a technician out to fix it, that's completely understandable," Brandy Brackett said.

But she says the air conditioning at the middle school has been faulty for more than a few weeks.

"Last year when I was there, some of the classrooms are just overwhelmingly hot and miserable," she said.

Brackett had one student on the campus last year and her son attends Fairplay this year.

Douglas County School officials told FOX 5 that some HVAC parts have just arrived and were installed Wednesday morning.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the district said, "This important replacement means that many areas, including the largest areas and some classrooms on the school’s campus, now have working air conditioning. There are still spaces in the school without working air conditioning and our HVAC technicians are actively working to get the air conditioning operating as quickly as possible."

Brackett's son says the temperature on campus had been a little better on Wednesday, but it still feels "really hot."

"Spanish has, like, three fans," Asher Thomas said. "Another class has another fan, but it doesn't really help."

Douglas County officials say an additional part is needed for the repair. They hope to get that part on Thursday.