ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — For about three years now, parents and students at Arvin High say the girls' volleyball team has struggled to practice and play at their home gym due to the lack of air conditioning.
- According to AHS parents and students, the girls' volleyball team has struggled to practice and play at their home gym due to the lack of air conditioning.
- They told 23ABC they've expressed their concerns to the Kern High School District, but say they have not received any response.
- As a result of the status of the gym, the team says they rarely get to play any home games which students say impacts them academically.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The bleachers inside Arvin High School's gym were supposed to be full on Thursday night as the girls' volleyball team was scheduled to play their first home game. However because there was no functioning AC in the gym, the game was moved to their opponent's school.
These fans are used by the girls to cool off during their water breaks.
"We need way more water breaks because we just get so tired so fast and sweaty and it just feels so humid in here," said Student-Athlete Luisa Padilla.
With temps hitting triple-digits this summer, students and parents say temps inside of the school's gym feels just as hot as the outside—a concern that they say they've expressed to the Kern High School District multiple times.
"They have put in work orders but nothing has been done," said AHS Parent Aracely Flores
Parents say the school has placed temporary AC units and fans in the gym but claim they're not enough to keep the girls cool.
"The Portacool units they put in place are small and it won't help much with the heat," explained AHS Parent Guerman Ibarra, "They don't produce enough cold air to offset some of the volume of the heat inside here."
I reached out to KHSD about the status of the gym, in a statement, the district says Arvin High is undergoing a modernization project that includes updating the gym's air conditioning and provided no further details.
I later asked the school district for an interview, but they did not respond.
According to an Instagram post on Thursday, the location of games for the beginning of the season will be changed.
As a result of the status of the gym, the team says they rarely get to play any home games, which student-athletes like Nailea Romero-Abrego feel impacts them academically.
"Two days out of the week we would miss a period and half of a second period because we would have to leave early because we couldn't play in our gym," said Romero-Abrego.
With the games running through October, Romero-Abrego says she hopes the AC gets fixed soon.
"Kern High District, help us out because since I was a freshman we've only had fans and I'm a senior now and it's crazy."
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