Students at a Gaston County high school have spent multiple days sweating through classes after air conditioning problems hit several campus buildings. Some students found relief through a water hose during a ‘fire challenge’ on one of the hottest days.
The problems are affecting Gaston Early College High School, which operates on the Gaston College campus.
Students initially continued attending classes in hot classrooms when the power became intermittent. Some classes have since moved into other campus buildings with working air conditioning. However, Early College students still had to return to the affected building to be able to eat lunch.
On Friday, things were so hot that students were seen hosing eachother down during a “fire challenge”.
School officials have provided repair updates, but earlier estimates for restoring air conditioning have passed without a complete fix. In a Facebook post, the school acknowledged a challenging start to the year and thanked families for their patience. Officials referenced a Gaston College power outage and transportation issues.
Gaston Early College allows students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and up to two years of transferable college credit at no cost.
Students attend classes on the college campus and can pursue associate degrees in arts, science or engineering.
For now, students and teachers continue adjusting schedules while waiting for the cooling problems to be resolved.
