Kenwood Academy Suffers Heat Loss During Record Cold Spell in Chicago

Matt Masterson | November 12, 2019, 4:14 pm

Kenwood Academy High School (TonyTheTiger / Wikimedia Commons)

A broken heater inside a South Side high school left students in classrooms without normal heat circulation on a day with record cold temperatures.

Chicago Public Schools said a motor inside Kenwood Academy High School failed Tuesday morning.

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“We checked temperature levels several times throughout the day and determined temperatures to be safe,” the school district wrote in a letter to parents. “Most students experienced no disruption to their standard school day.”

One classroom, however, was relocated to the cafeteria.

The Kenwood neighborhood school serves more than 2,000 students, according to district data.

A low temperature of 7 degrees recorded in Chicago on Tuesday morning broke the previous record for this date, which was set more than 30 years ago, according to the National Weather Service.

Upon learning of the heating issues, CPS said it contacted its building engineer and the district’s Facilities Department, which began working to make necessary repairs.

“We are working diligently to address this issue,” the school district wrote in a letter to parents, “and we expect building operations to return to normal tomorrow morning.”

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, CPS said the heat at the school had been restored.

Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431

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