Students and staff at Oak View Middle School received a chilly welcome back to class this week as multiple classrooms and the cafeteria are without heat.

According to a message sent to parents and staff on Sunday, the heating system at the Newberry school is not operating.

“Once we get the parts, which is supposed to be mid to late January, it will only take a couple of days to install, so we do expect the problem to be resolved before the month is out,” said Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson Jackie Johnson in an email to Mainstreet.

The following message was sent on Sunday asking students to bundle up as temperatures to be cooler this week.

Oak View Middle School families and staff:

As we shared in December, the heating system at Oak View is not working as it should. This is affecting several classrooms and the cafeteria. We want to update you on our efforts to resolve the issue.

Our team has been working closely with vendors to fix the problem. Unfortunately, critical parts will not arrive until mid- to late-January.

In the meantime, we will continue using space heaters in all affected classrooms to keep them warm. However, because of its size, space heaters are not suitable for the cafeteria.  We will be turning off the chillers in the cafeteria to help boost the temperatures as much as possible.

Although these measures will help, we encourage families to dress students warmly this week, especially Tuesday through Friday, when temperatures are expected to be much colder.  Currently unoccupied classroom temperatures are in the upper 60’s and low 70’s with space heaters off. But the cafeteria will be cooler, so extra layers will be helpful.

We apologize for the inconvenience this situation is causing and appreciate your understanding. The district and our vendors will work as quickly as possible once the parts come in to get the heating system fully operational. We are also planning for a major project later this year so this kind of issue does not happen again.

Thank you so much for your patience as we work through this challenge together.