Emails reveal school principals sounding alarm over Henrico HVAC problems: 'What a mess'

Emails exclusively obtained by CBS 6 through a public records request reveal widespread concerns about air conditioning and high temperatures inside Henrico schools right before students returned to class and during the first weeks of the school year.

The records show HVAC problems were reported at more than 30 schools.

At Godwin High School, the principal described the HVAC situation as a “mess” and later wrote that she was “at a loss” after dealing with persistent problems “for many years.”

At Mehfoud Elementary School, the principal described temperatures during the school’s open house as “extremely concerning and dangerous,” with some classrooms reaching 88 degrees.

The emails provide an inside look at what principals, teachers and parents were reporting as temperatures in some Henrico classrooms climbed into the 80s and, in at least one case, above 90 degrees.

“It is astonishing to me that we could start a school year with five classrooms with no air,” Pemberton Elementary parent Sarah Demmick told CBS 6.

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