DES MOINES, Iowa — Intense heat hit central Iowa on Monday, lingered around and seeped into classrooms and forced some schools to release students early.
Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines released students at 10:30 a.m. after the school told Local 5 News a bearing went out on one of its chillers. The school mentioned maintenance crews had been working to repair the "mechanical failure" and didn't imagine any similar issues heading into the rest of the week.
Also in the metro, Horizon Science Academy released students at 12:30 p.m. Monday after Principal Laura Cannon received a call from the building manager that the air was out in the south hallway, where all grades attend class.
After coming inside the school, Cannon said the temperature was 78 degrees "at 7:30 this morning," and that led her to think she'd have to have parents pick up their kids.
Cannon added the air condition is back up and running, and hopes for a full day as planned on Tuesday.
For some schools in the I-35 Community School District and at Horizon, students had returned to the classroom for the first time since spring.
At I-35 Secondary School, social studies teacher Bryce Porter explained what Monday felt like to him: "[Students] sat down, they put their stuff down, we got into a little rules and expectations for the beginning of the year, and it was like: 'Alright, see you tomorrow. Hopefully we don't have one tomorrow, again.'"
Porter's classroom is one of 16 at I-35 that do not have A/C, but Superintendent Chad Grandon hopes to have cool air pumped into all air by next school year.
Orient-Macksburg is also dismissing school across the district at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday due to anticipated heat.
In response to this week's heat, Polk County Emergency Management activated its extreme temperature plan which makes cooling centers like libraries, community centers and city halls available for anyone. Central Iowa Shelter Services is also offering intake for day and overnight services to those 18 and older.