Superintendent Apologizes For Braintree HS Freezing Issue

BRAINTREE, MA — It was exceptionally cold at Braintree High School earlier this week, so cold that some parents on social media said their kids had to wear their hats and jackets inside to keep warm.

In the face of frustrated parents and freezing kids, Superintendent Frank Hackett apologized Friday for the conditions that were felt in some of the exterior wall classrooms, larger, instructional areas and core spaces that include the art and music rooms, media center, cafeteria, and gymnasium.

"The temperature in these spaces created an environment that impacted personal comfort and instruction, and the heating problems were exacerbated by the multi-day stretch of record-setting cold weather. Our students and staff are accustomed to temperatures in the building that fluctuate with extreme weather conditions, but they should not have had to contend with temperatures that reached the low 50s in some areas of our school," Hackett wrote. "Unfortunately, our best efforts were not enough to remedy the situation as quickly as we had hoped, and for that, we are truly sorry."

An issue with the boiler system is being blamed for the lower temperatures. While it was recently determined by an outside engineering firm that the five boilers are efficient and don't need to be replaced, they were simply not up to the task of dealing with single-digit temperatures. Hackett said contractors have spent the past four days working on the system and the affected classrooms are now in the low 60-degree range and climbing.

Changes to the boilers are likely coming, Hackett said. The town council is expected to approve a $10 million project that includes new boilers, energy management control systems, new lighting and controls, and significantly improve energy efficiency in all of our elementary schools and Braintree High School.

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