‘Like a prison’: Ashley Park Primary School students without air-conditioning
Children at a new state primary school in Melbourne’s north are being forced to play outside in blistering conditions with no shade sails and no classroom air-conditioning, with one parent likening it to prison.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Students at a new primary school in the northern suburbs are being forced to swelter through the hot weather without any air-conditioning.
Ashley Park Primary School parent committee vice president Ellie Langlands said “prisoners were treated better” than the students at the Doreen school, which opened at the end of January.
“These are our kids, our future and here they are without any air-conditioning, shade sails, no blinds on the classroom windows and no playground,” she said.
Far north Qld children desperate for airconditioning on school buses
Airconditioning in Queensland state schools: Government admits it needs to do more
The Blacktown schools set for airconditioning
“They were all originally included in the (school) budget, but they have been cut.
“So we have a school building, but I wouldn’t say we have a school.”
Ms Langlands said the school would need to raise $80,000 for shade sails, $150,000 for a school playground and more than $110,000 to put air-conditioning in two of the four school buildings.
“How the hell are we supposed to raise all this money on our own?” she said.
“I don’t have the ability to donate thousands to the school and I’m sure I speak on behalf of many other parents at the school.”
School children sweltered through the month of February and again on the first day of March where temperatures soared above 36C.
Ms Langlands said children were huddled up against classrooms during recess, vying for relief from the heat.
“Today we have an icy pole day where $1 from their icy pole goes towards the school, but even if all the students bought an icy pole it would only amount to $83 and some parents did not even take their kids to school today because of how hot it was,” she said.
Even in cooler and wetter weather Ms Langlands said children would run between classrooms because there was no shelter.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the staff and the school building, but that’s where it starts and ends,” she said.
“We would love to stick with the school, but if the facilities don’t improve then taking our daughter out may probably be something we will have to think about.”
Ms Langlands called on the State Government to help.
“We would love for the government to put something in place to help us out, because we can’t keep asking parents and businesses to keep donating to the school,” she said.
A total of $13.806 million was allocated towards the school in the 2017-18 state budget.
The school received an additional $5.27 million in the 2018-19 state budget.
Ashley Park Primary School and the Victorian School Building Authority have been contacted for comment.
MORE NEWS
Distressing videos of a dog attacking a chicken have emerged
Heroes and villains fly in for sci-fi and superhero convention ComiXpo 7.0
Biggest ever homewares warehouse sale on for three days in Truganina
Former boxing star bashes guard at maximum security prison
A boxer mentored by one of Australia’s best fighters punched a prison officer in the face during a violent outburst at a high security jail.
‘Karen’ from Brighton’s family pub let disabled teen play pokies
A security lapse at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel in Brunswick — owned by the family of Melbourne’s infamous Covid-era Karen — led to a disabled boy playing the pokies.