Hamilton Attendance Center works to keep students cool on the bus
Many school buses in the area do not have air conditioning. Record-breaking temperatures for this time of year have rolled through Mississippi.
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Many school buses in the area do not have air conditioning. Record-breaking temperatures for this time of year have rolled through Mississippi.
Students ride the bus in the morning, afternoon, and even the middle of the day.
A 20 to 30-minute bus ride with no air conditioning can feel a lot longer. So, the Hamilton Attendance Center sought out a refreshing solution.
It’s been the hottest week of the year with temperatures reaching triple digits and buses with no air conditioning do not equal up to a cool ride.
Many students at Hamilton Attendance Center have to ride the bus in the hottest parts of the day to take them to the Advanced Learning Center and the Career and Technical Center, and it’s about a 20-minute bus ride.
Principal Michelle Stevens says she knew something had to be done.
“This has been the hottest year that I have faced since I’ve been in education,” Stevens said. “About two weeks ago when we started looking at the forecast about how hot it was gonna be in the afternoon we started making plans and called two local businesses to see if they would be willing to donate some water to give to our students so they’d be hydrated on the buses. Thompson Welding donated first. Then we contacted Tronox, and they supplied us with water that should probably last about a week or two.”
Those businesses provided Hamilton with over 3,000 water bottles for students.
“We’re fortunate in Monroe County with our admins, they’re on top of those type situations and working together to tag team that,” Dr. O’Brian said.
Superintendent Dr. Chad O’Brian says educators constantly keep an eye on the weather, and the number one priority is always the student’s safety.
“When you have heat like we’ve had in the last few days, anytime you have a situation like this that involves community effort,” O’Brian said. “Hamilton like all of our schools in Monroe County is blessed with great community support.”
Business owners are not the only ones willing to help.
“We have had parents that have reached out to see if they needed to donate water,” Stevens said. “Right now we have not had to use that resource, but we are very lucky to be in a community where we need something, and people come together and help us.”
Stevens and O’Brian say their best advice is for students to make sure they stay hydrated throughout the day, wear proper clothing that won’t get you too hot, and wait to load the buses until the last minute so students are not sitting in the heat.
