Schools and Jails

I was furious to read about the air-conditioning breakdowns in a local prison and Police Department during this recent heat wave (Aug. 15). I would love to have air conditioning so it could break down! I work at a public high school in the San Fernando Valley where almost none of the classrooms or offices even have air conditioning. From June to September, the students and teachers are subjected to temperatures that exceed 100 degrees inside the buildings.

The prisoners you wrote about were subjected to 85-degree temperatures for a short period of time. This was seen to be a big enough catastrophe to make news.

Your article is a painful reminder of how lowly regarded children are to our society and to lawmakers, who allocate the funds for police, jails and schools. Schools, children and teachers are clearly on the bottom.

TERYNE DORRET

North Hollywood