Durham students and staff spent the week sweating it out after air-conditioning failures knocked out HVAC systems at at least one middle school and one high school during a mid‑May heat wave. Teachers reported classroom thermostats climbing into the 80s, shuffling students into cooler common areas while crews tried to figure out what went wrong. Temporary fans and portable cooling units were hauled in as technicians checked equipment and ordered replacement parts.
As reported by CBS17, Durham Public Schools identified Hillside High School and Lakewood Montessori Middle School as having broken HVAC systems and said staff were relocating students to more comfortable areas across the Hillside campus. Students told the station they could "barely focus" as rooms sweltered, and some used lunch breaks to buy cold drinks nearby. Technicians and contractors have been on site since Tuesday while crews troubleshoot the systems and order parts.
District response and repair timeline
In a statement to CBS17, district officials said crews are assessing and troubleshooting HVAC units and that ordering parts could delay full repairs. The district says it is prioritizing student safety by moving classes, using shared spaces and deploying temporary cooling where it is needed most. School leaders advised families to keep an eye on messages from principals for the latest updates.
Triangle‑wide strain on school HVACs
Similar problems cropped up across the Triangle as temperatures climbed into the 90s, with Wake County reporting outages at Reedy Creek Middle in Cary and Salem Elementary in Apex, according to WRAL. Wake County's facilities chief told the station that budget and staffing shortfalls have hampered routine maintenance and left many units vulnerable to failure. WRAL reported the county has shifted more money into HVAC work but still faces a multimillion‑dollar deferred‑maintenance backlog.
What families should know
Parents looking for the latest notices should watch the district's live feed and their child's school page for any closures or schedule changes. If conditions worsen at a particular campus, principals have discretion to alter schedules or send students home, which is a step other districts have already taken during the same heat wave. District officials said they will share repair timelines as parts arrive and systems are tested.
