Boyle Heights students left sweating, distracted as school struggles to keep cool amid extreme heat

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Students and staff at a Boyle Heights elementary school were left sweating and frustrated with temporary solutions to try and stay cool after a major theft in July set the school back - including problems with their AC.

Melanie Elizanlde, whose siblings attend Soto Street Elementary, calls the situation unacceptable.

"Now that the temperature has been going up, and it's reaching the 100s, how is it that they're leaving them in the classroom knowing that the kids are sweating, they're taking turns standing in front of the fan," she said.

The heat is making it even more difficult for students with special needs. Finding a solution is what parent Melissa Milan wants the district to do after seeing her 7-year-old son with special needs suffer.

Her son has eczema, which gives him blisters and bloody rashes when it's too hot, Milan said. The heat also makes him harm himself.

"It's hard to see as a parent seeing your child hurt themselves because of heat," Milan said.

In Lake Balboa, it was a different story for parents when they got a message from the district Friday morning.

"The school system message called us, and said there's no power but there is still school." Melody Moussanejad said.

Gault Street Elementary School was without power in the morning, making Friday a minimum day. Parents were encouraged to pick their kids up early. The district sent a statement early in the afternoon notifying parents the power had been restored.

Parents at both schools worry the extreme heat is affecting their children's health, concentration and socialization.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District released the following statement regarding the ongoing AC issues at Soto Street Elementary School:

"All classrooms at Soto Street Elementary School are being air-conditioned by temporary a/c units while construction is underway on the school's new replacement HVAC system. The District is also providing box fans to the school to help circulate the air in classrooms. Please note, this HVAC project is underway because the existing system is past its useful life and no longer functioning. This is the case across the District as more than 50,000 HVAC units need to be replaced because they are old, deteriorated, and/or not functioning as they should.

"Additionally, we can confirm that an incident of theft and vandalism occurred over the summer break, resulting in the loss of various equipment and parts, including copper wiring. Any impact to the temporary a/c units were resolved before the first day of school."