Parents pulling kids out of Detroit preschool due to no working heat
Parents say Detroit preschool leaving kids in the cold
A teacher and several parents say there is no heat inside the classroom at the MLK Academy on Detroit's west side, leading to kids being pulled from school. But the administration says any heating issues have been fixed.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Parents and one teacher at a Detroit preschool on the city's west side say the heat inside the building is not working, leading to students being pulled out of the classroom.
School officials from Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center Academy pushed back on the notion, saying the heat inside was on and it had been inspected in January.
But parents say the heat has been off since before Christmas. While some are upset by the frigid temperatures inside, others say they just want answers from the administration.
Local perspective:
One teacher named Ms. Motley said children were "freezing" while inside the building, leading to parents taking action and removing their kids from the school.
"Their parents have been pulling them out of school and picking them up all week long," she said.
Parents like Natalya Martin say her kids have been wearing jackets and blankets inside MLK Academy, a preschool on Detroit's west side. It's an issue that's been going on for weeks.
"Probably around the first or second week of December and they thought it was going to be fixed during the break and they came back and it's not fixed," said Martin.
Another parent said her husband went looking for answers, and was told by the administration they didn't know the heat was even a problem inside.
A custodian inside the building said one room upstairs had had some problems, but nothing beyond that.
Zoom Out:
The new year has started out exceptionally cold, with snow and freezing temperatures a feature of most of January.
The Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency, which funds the school, said they would work to verify the heat was on inside MLK Jr. Education Center Academy.
In a statement, it confirmed the classrooms were currently heated.
"Their heating system was also inspected on Jan. 10 and is working properly," a statement from Dana Chicklas, Wayne RESA said.
But parents are skeptical and want a meeting face-to-face.
"Reach out to the parents, inform them. Let’s have a meeting," said Jessica, another parent. "Discuss, like what’s really going on. And if parents can help as well, who do we need to reach out to?"