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Adverse Situations

Jason Ma

Master of Education in Leadership, Grand Canyon University

EAD 536: Strategic Leadership and Management in the Principalship

Dr. Michael Sollitto

April 5, 2023

Management and Operational Systems

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As the principal in the scenario at Sunset Hills K-8 School, I have to make a decision that

would positively benefit and improve the learning environment within the classroom. At this

moment when it is noon and none of the air conditioning is working, I would put in a work order

with my secretary marked as urgent. I would follow up by immediately contacting the district

maintenance personnel to inform them of the situation on campus and have someone out to look

at what is wrong with all of the AC units. The district personnel in maintenance would need to

come to the school and see if the fixes the AC units need are something minor that can be done

immediately or if it is something that requires parts to be ordered. Once we know the severity of

the AC unit, I would then need to know who or what budget is going to be used to pay for these

repairs.

In the meanwhile waiting for the AC to be repaired, I would order to have all of the

available fans from the district be delivered to the school to all classroom that needs a fan to cool

down the classroom. I would also request for as many outdoor tents and canopies to be delivered

and set up at the school. This way any classroom that is too hot can have an outdoor shaded area

for the teachers to use during class time. Lastly, I would request from the district provide the

school with enough bottled water for students as many of the students may be dehydrated. All of

the water would be stored in a fridge of some sort so that when needed, the kids can use it to cool

themselves down.

Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources

As we try to figure out this situation, I would communicate with the entire staff that a

request for the repair of all AC units is being worked on. I would ask the teachers and the

students to remain patient as we figure out how to move forward with this issue. This is an

emergency in the classroom so any accommodations that the students need or teachers deem
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appropriate for the class will be allowed outside of excusing the students to go home for the day.

Any parents who are concerned about the heat are welcome to pull their children out for the

remainder of the day. Any short-term and immediate response from the district is welcomed.

Providing classrooms with fans to help move cool air around the classroom would greatly benefit

the students.

The fiscal resources that we would need for the short term are to purchase fans for each

classroom while the AC is being fixed. Due to the potential negligence of the district, they

should provide enough cold water on campus for the students and staff to make sure all students

and staff on campus are properly hydrated. The long-term financial needs are for any

replacement AC parts or even replacement AC units that are needed to fix the AC. Likely some

of the classrooms have outdated air duct systems and would need a complete overhaul of the

vents. All of these things cost money and the school and district budgets will likely be used to

cover these expenses.

Once these new AC units are installed or fixed, the technology resource needed is some

sort of monitoring system at the district level to check the status of the AC units on campus. I

know many districts in California have their central AC set and controlled at the district level.

Using these monitoring systems, the district can quickly identify problem units and be able to

send out a technician to assess the situation and resolve the issue as soon as possible. This also

includes a newer thermostat in the classroom so the teacher can easily see the status of the AC

unit, the temperature set, and the temperature of the classroom. This is so the teacher can also

monitor the AC unit within her classroom as well. If something does not seem right, the teacher

will have the ability to see it and report it on their end.

Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff

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Under the Arizona Administrative Code Section R7-6-213 - Classroom Temperature, the

school is obligated to maintain “a temperature between 68° and 82 F under normal conditions

(Ariz. Admin. Code § 7-6-213).” With this Arizona Administrative Code in mind, the district

should make this situation an immediate priority to prevent any potential lawsuit regarding the

lack of a properly functioning AC unit. According to the Dysart Unified School District school

policy, the school must comply with the minimum standards set by the School Facilities

Oversight Board (SFOB) (Dysart Unified School District, 2023). The SFOB also has a document

that refers back to the Arizona Administrative Code Section R7-6-213. With both legal codes

and district policy pointing at the same regulation and classroom temperature standards, it is the

district’s legal obligation to make sure all AC units are in working condition.

Collaboration with Faculty and Community

The possible stakeholders that would need to be involved in this situation are the

principal, the teachers, the students, the parents, and district personnel. The school needs proper

cooling. The principal, teachers, students, and parents are going to agree on this point. Without

adequate cooling in the classroom, students will not be able to focus on their learning and

teachers will not be able to properly teach and classroom manage a classroom full of students

who are overheating. Parents want to make sure that all of their child and children are safe from

harm at school, which includes heat exhaustion and heat stroke. District personnel is involved

because they are the ones that will determine how this situation is resolved, whether through

replacement parts, or a complete overhaul of the AC system in the classrooms.

In the end, all of the stakeholders will be affected by the decision that I make. The

students, teachers, and parents are going to receive a positive impact from the working AC units

in the classroom. The District personnel will have a more negative impact because that would
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add to the already existing workload they may already have on their plate as well as the financial

responsibilities they would have to take on to make sure all of the proper parts or units are paid

for and delivered promptly.

Solution and Rationale

My solution to this whole situation is to put in a work order for the district to come in and

fix all of the AC units. I would also add to this work order by calling the district directly to have

someone come check out the situation immediately. I would raise concerns about student safety

and well-being while citing the Administrative Code regarding the temperature of the classroom.

Here are the steps I would take:

● Put in Work Order - 5 minutes

● Call District regarding Work Order - 20 minutes

● Ask for fans to be delivered to the school - 15 minutes

● Ask for enough water on campus to hydrate students - 15 minutes

● Ask for canopies to be delivered on campus - 15 minutes

● Delivery of available fans, canopies, and water - 2 hours

● AC inspection and recommended repairs - 3 hours

● District personnel fixes AC unit - 2 to 3 weeks depending on how many AC is out and

what the necessary fixes are

● School Board meeting with parents - Next available school board meeting with parents

and students if the district does not do anything about the broken AC units

I would go through these steps for this situation because these are the proper steps to

request the district to work on things on campus. If the AC is out, I need to have a short-term

solution for the students and teachers for the remainder of the day and the following days.
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Having fans, water, and canopies on campus for the students and teachers to use is not enough,

but would make the situation more tolerable until a permanent solution is implemented. I know

realistically, for the entire school’s AC to be fixed, it would take a few weeks, especially if they

have to wait on missing parts or brand new AC units to be installed. If outdated duct work has to

be overhauled, that may take even more time. Students and teachers have a right to learn and

teach in a safe environment from harm or the weather. This plan I laid out addresses their right

and the legal laws and district policies that address temperature in the classroom. All of the

stakeholders would ultimately approve of the decisions that I made for the school.
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References

Arizona administrative code: Title 7 - education: Chapter 6 - School Facilities Board: Article 2 -

Minimum School Facility Guidelines: Section R7-6-213 - classroom temperature. Justia

Law. (2022, December 23). Retrieved April 4, 2023, from

https://regulations.justia.com/states/arizona/title-7/chapter-6/article-2/r7-6-213/

Dysart Unified School District. (2023, January 1). Policy © 3-201 Facilities. Policy manual.

Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.boardpolicyonline.com/bl/?

b=dysart_usd#&&hs=1395931