Theodore High becomes third in MCPSS with A/C problems this school year

THEODORE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Theodore High School was without air conditioning on Tuesday morning when students arrived.

Theodore High School is the third school within Mobile County Public Schools to experience an air conditioning failure in under two weeks since school started.

LeFlore High School and Hankins Middle School reported A/C failures on Monday. LeFlore students were sent home at 10 a.m. for the remainder of the day. MCPSS spokesperson Rena Philips said only one hallway at Hankins was left with no A/C, and the issue was fixed around 9:30 a.m.

“With the heat, we do experience issues with air conditioning,” Philips said in a statement. “We work to make repairs quickly.”

The A/C in all three schools, according to Philips, has been restored.

In the case of Theodore High School, this is just another chapter to an ongoing saga of A/C problems. Nearly a year ago, the two cooling towers at the school malfunctioned, which sources said left those in the school without A/C for about a week.

“This thing has been out for a while and we’re sick and tired of it,” Leonard Whitfield, a family member of multiple Theodore students, said. “Parents are getting outraged that their kids have to keep coming home sweating in school. They aren’t going to learn like that.”

A new temporary unit was brought in to put a short-term fix to the issue. That short-term fix has been sitting in the parking lot for nearly a year, eating away $15,000 a month in rental fees from the school system.

“This is a shame right here though,” Whitfield said. “Stop patching the problem and fix the problem.”

Previously, WKRG obtained two cost estimates to replace the two cooling towers. The first vendor quote, by Delta Cooling Towers Inc., totaled $144,503.

The second vendor quote, by Hydro Technologies, showed that replacing the current towers with what Hatcher said is the same make and model, would cost $256,314.

“We know you’re going to have issues, but there ought to be some type of budget that the school board ought to put in place for maintenance for each school,” Whitfield said.

Just two days before school started, mildew and mold were spotted inside Theodore High School . School Board member Johnny Hatcher believed the mildew and mold may have started growing weeks prior when the temporary cooling unit malfunctioned, causing a condensation buildup in parts of the school.

Philips countered Hatcher’s claims.

“The mildew/mold at Theodore was removed, and ceiling tiles were replaced before school started,” Philips said in a statement.

“If they don’t have air, you’re going to have mold and mildew all over,” Whitfield said.

While Hatcher said an emergency order should have been filed to get the cooling towers fixed quicker, Phillips said the school system is choosing to go through a state-required bid process on the cooling towers.

“It’s hot enough outside; I’m even keeping my dogs in the air conditioner right now,” a parent of a Theodore High School senior said. “These are kids we’re talking about.”

The project to replace the cooling towers is set to come before the school board in their September meeting.

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