An HVAC system collapsed at a Mandarin elementary school Monday, Aug. 24, forcing students into other parts of the building and marking a critical point in a district-wide air conditioning crisis that has plagued Duval County Public Schools since classes began. Students were relocated to areas within the school that still had functioning air conditioning. Classes were not interrupted.

Deputy Superintendent Corey Wright acknowledged the severity of the failure at a press conference, saying the extreme heat wave overloaded systems beyond what the district anticipated, according to Action News Jax. Wright said technical problems at the start of a school year are normal, but triple-digit temperatures pushed aging equipment past its limits.

The collapse came four days after smoke from a broken air-handler motor forced an evacuation at Crown Point Elementary on Thursday, Aug. 20, when Jacksonville Fire Rescue crews responded at about 7:14 a.m. to find smoke in four classrooms, according to Action News Jax. About 20 students already on campus were moved to Mandarin Middle School. Crown Point principal Katie O'Connell said Thursday, Aug. 20, that the building had been inspected by district maintenance teams and an independent vendor and determined to be safe. The school reopened Saturday, Aug. 22.

1,300 service calls in 11 days

The scope of the problem extends well beyond Mandarin. DCPS received 1,300 air conditioning service calls in the first 11 days of the school year, Chief Operating Officer Jim Culbert said at a Friday, Aug. 21, press conference. Four schools had major AC problems on the first day of school, Tuesday, Aug. 18, followed by three more the next day.

"Understanding does not cool a classroom and our students and staff deserve better," Culbert said at the Friday, Aug. 21, press conference, reported by Action News Jax.

The district ran AC systems around the clock for three weeks before school started to catch problems early, but the return of 110,000 students and staff into buildings where outdoor temperatures hit 100 degrees overwhelmed the infrastructure, according to First Coast News.

District spending response

DCPS has more than doubled its maintenance budget from $17 million to $40 million for the current school year, with plans to reach $50 million next year. The district has also invested $2.5 million in upgraded HVAC control systems, purchased about 20 portable spot coolers and created a dedicated maintenance desk to speed response times.

Starting this year, six to eight schools will be selected annually for complete HVAC system replacement. The district also announced a comprehensive evaluation of all chillers and cooling towers.

The district has not named the specific Mandarin elementary school where Monday's collapse occurred or provided a timeline for full repairs. DCPS said it would keep families informed through direct updates from school campuses.