Boyle Heights students sweat and are distracted as the school tries to keep cool in extreme heat

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Students and staff at a Boyle Heights elementary school were sweating and frustrated with the stopgap measures they needed to keep cool after a major theft in July set the school back – including problems with the air conditioning.

Melanie Elizanlde, whose siblings attend Soto Street Elementary, calls the situation unacceptable.

“Now that temperatures are rising and are above 38 degrees, how can they keep the children in the classroom knowing that they are sweating and taking turns standing in front of the fan,” she said.

The heat makes it even harder for students with special needs. Mother Melissa Milan wants the school district to find a solution after watching her 7-year-old son with special needs suffer.

Her son suffers from eczema, which causes blisters and bloody rashes in extreme heat, Milan said. The heat also causes him to self-harm.

“It’s hard for parents to watch their child get injured because of the heat,” Milan said.

In Lake Balboa, the story was different for parents when they received a message from the district Friday morning.

“The school administration called us and told us that there was no electricity, but the school was still open,” said Melody Moussanejad.

Gault Street Elementary School lost power that morning, making Friday a day without power. Parents were asked to pick up their children early. The district sent out a statement early in the afternoon informing parents that power had been restored.

Parents at both schools fear that the extreme heat will affect their children's health, concentration and social skills.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District released the following statement regarding ongoing air conditioning problems at Soto Street Elementary School:

“All classrooms at Soto Street Elementary School will be air conditioned with temporary air conditioners while work is underway on the school's new HVAC system. The district is also providing the school with box fans to assist with air circulation in the classrooms. Please note that this HVAC project is underway because the existing system has exceeded its useful life and is no longer functioning. This is the case throughout the district as more than 50,000 HVAC units need to be replaced because they are old, worn out and/or no longer functioning as they should.

“In addition, we can confirm that there was an incident of theft and vandalism during the summer holidays, where various equipment and parts, including copper cables, were lost. Any damage to the temporary air conditioning units was repaired before the first day of school.”