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Parent says Foley Middle heating problems persisted and seeks clearer district communication
Summary
A parent told the Madison County Board of Education the district has not been transparent about heating issues at Foley Middle School, raising concerns about repeated failures and use of temporary heaters; the parent referenced a regulation and said staff acknowledged the district could do better.
Dwayne Fraley, a Foley Middle School parent, used the public‑comment portion of the Madison County Board of Education’s February meeting to press the district for clearer, more timely communication about persistent heating problems at Foley.
Fraley said he first learned about a December heating problem after seeing television coverage, and that when he went to the school he was told by Principal Huntley that the issue had not been fully resolved. Fraley said he subsequently raised the matter with district staff and that a maintenance employee told a district receptionist the issue was fixed while the principal had told Fraley it was not.
Fraley described a later heating incident that again reached news coverage and said he had discussed technical issues with district staff who explained the difficulties with some pre‑fabricated rooftop units. He criticized what he described as inconsistent communication and urged the district to follow the regulatory requirements he cited in materials he handed the board: “title 902, chapter 45, regulation 105, section 6, paragraph 4,” which he said governs facilities and heating expectations.
Fraley told the board he observed portable heaters in hallways and said he believed that practice violated the rule; district staff acknowledged the need for clearer handling and, according to Fraley, told him they would do better. Fraley asked that someone be held accountable if the regulation had been ignored.
Board members thanked Fraley for speaking and told him the district heard his concerns. District officials discussed system failures during the meeting’s construction and facilities segment and described plans to replace failing rooftop units with more maintainable heat‑pump systems fed by geothermal well fields; board members also said the district is pursuing state facility plan approvals required before major HVAC renovations.
No board action was taken specifically in response to Fraley’s comments during the meeting; the facilities discussion later in the agenda addressed the broader HVAC failures and the board voted to proceed with geothermal testing and project planning.
