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Richmond school resources snap and strain against Arctic blast

Posted at 8:07 PM, Jan 08, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-09 06:37:25-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Arctic blast felt around the metro caused a few snags for area schools; from parents and grandparents who waited outside for delayed buses to  heating problems to flooding problems in one area school.

Tawana Durham said it wasn’t the start to her daughter’s fifth birthday that she anticipated. She worried that her 5-year-old was bundled up all day inside of Mary Scott Elementary School because of heating problems.

Richmond school leaders said a boiler problem kept the school from heating up like it should have. Some areas were between 62 and 64 degrees.

"They're coming to learn," Durham said. "The school system need to have it fit for them to function and learn. "

Richmond’s Tommy Kranz said they worked as quickly as possible to fix the boiler problem at Mary Scott.

He also told CBS 6 News that students in two different John Marshall High school classrooms had a little shake-up Thursday morning when they had to switch classes because theirs flooded, along with flooding in a storage area and a hallway.

"It is going to be ceiling tile damage, desks, carpets," Kranz said. "Some water got on books causing warping so we'll have to address that."

He said the damage will likely cost the city a few thousand dollars. The repair work is expected to wrap up by the close of business day Friday.

School leaders tell us there were only a few minor snags around the area when it came to the buses. Henrico school leaders report that twelve of their five hundred buses were about 15 minutes late.

In Chesterfield, parents say some of their children had to brave the cold a little longer than expected. They tell us transportation officials reported eight of their 500 school buses were delayed because of the cold.

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