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Chandler parents: Kids struggling on bus with no air conditioning

Posted at 7:16 PM, Aug 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-28 22:16:38-04

Parents from a Chandler Unified School District bus stop told ABC15 they've had ongoing issues with little to no air conditioning on their kids' school bus -- #2096.

"They say it's so uncomfortable, that's it's super hot," said Rebecca Powell, a mother with two children on the bus.

"Sometimes they just say, 'Ugh.. there's no air conditioning in the bus,'" said Lindsey Corum, who also has kids riding on bus #2096. "They're really sweaty and they just complain there's no airconditioning on the bus."

Powell told ABC15 her mother Darlene Graves, who picks up her children first, talked with the bus driver about the issue, and the driver said she would write it up.

"It's very frustrating, my granddaughter has her hair all up, and it's all wet around the edges," said Graves. "She said she was sitting on the seat and just sweating, she said it was just a nasty feeling."

Last week, Powell took it one step further and called Chandler Unified School District's transportation department.

"He said that he was aware of several buses in the school district currently without A/C. They said they were currently working on them but couldn't give us a time frame," said Powell.

Powell asked to speak to the worker's supervisor, but never had her call returned.

ABC15 also contacted district officials over the issue.

Chandler Unified School District spokesperson Terry Locke looked into the issue. Locke said the district's transportation director reported, "no buses have left the transportation yard without running A/C."

After hearing concerns from some parents, workers did "double check A/C on all those buses. All were blowing cold," wrote Locke.

When ABC15 informed parents at the stop what CUSD was telling us, mom Shelley Peterson tried to board the bus to feel the air conditioner.

"I said, 'Well are these the vents to the bus? And she said yes, and I put my hand over the vents and there was no airflow," Peterson described.

Powellvtold ABC15 transportation workers last week admitted over the phone to her that there was a problem.

As for what may be happening, Locke explained in an email, saying, "When it’s really hot, our vehicles and buses sit in the sun all day it really taxes the system. We continue to be diligent with pre-checks and having water available for students."