Chula Vista Elementary School District board members are pressing the district over reports of extreme heat on school buses. The district transports more than 1,600 students daily, according to figures it published last year.
At a Sept. 9 school board meeting, bus driver Sarah Ramos described sweltering temperatures inside a bus she was driving during last month’s heat wave.
“Tuesday morning, the bus I was driving reached 92.5 degrees despite every window being down, roof hatch open and two fans open. This was before 9 a.m.,” Ramos told the board. “That afternoon it averaged 103 degrees and reached up to 104.7.”
Ramos told board members that only 39 of the district’s 93 buses have air conditioning.
“The district moved recess, lunch and PE indoors to protect students and staff from the extreme heat but afterwards we place students on buses exceeding 100 degrees,” Ramos said.
On Wednesday outside district offices, board members held up a photo they said showed a temperature gauge inside a bus reading 108 degrees, taken by a bus driver.
“When children's safety is involved, we have an obligation to look for solutions,” board member Delia Dominguez Cervantes said.
One month after Ramos alerted the board to the issue, Cervantes said they're still waiting for a response from the district.
“I am not asking for the impossible,” Cervantes said. “I am asking that we explore our options, identify what is financially feasible, and taking meaningful steps to protect our children.”
Students with special needs were a particular concern for board member Keren Ramirez Dominguez.
“A lot of them are nonverbal. A lot of them are, you know, in wheelchairs, and they need all these other help,” she said. “So having them inside of a bus that's more than 100 degrees for a long period of time can be really damaging to them.”
The district told KPBS it is providing air-conditioned buses for medically fragile students, making water available to students and staff and establishing cooling areas for bus drivers. The district also described Dominguez Cervantes’ comments as politically motivated.
In a written statement, the district questioned why Cervantes voted against purchasing new air conditioning. “The public deserves an explanation of that vote,” she said.
With temperatures forecast to hit the upper 80s to mid-90s starting Thursday, school board members are questioning whether those measures are enough.
