A Palm Springs middle school sent students home early Monday, Aug. 31, after a water main break hampered the air conditioning system's ability to cool the school.
Raymond Cree Middle began releasing students at 11:15 a.m. "out of an abundance of caution" according to a message Principal Bernie Marez sent to families.
An issue with a water main break, Marez said, affected the school's air conditioning system over the weekend, and some campus buildings were taking longer than expected to fully cool.
It was about 97 degrees in Palm Springs late Monday morning, with a high near 102 forecast.
Students whose parents did not pick them up or authorize them to walk home were to remain in cooled areas of the school for the rest of the day. Those who normally
take the bus would finish out the day in a cooled area at the middle school before heading home. after-school program was also expected to continue in an air-conditioned part of the campus.
The disruption came just days after two schools in the eastern Coachella Valley also sent students home early when a power outage knocked out electricity as temperatures climbed above 100 degrees.
Raymond Cree is expected to return to its normal schedule Tuesday, Sept. 1, Meraz said. The school will notify families later Monday if that changes.
Jennifer Cortez covers education and breaking news in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cooling problems close Palm Springs' Raymond Cree Middle School early
