No Heat In Several Classrooms At Thorne Middle School, Parents Say

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Thursday is now Day 2 of multiple classrooms at Thorne Middle School in Middletown having no heat.

This is according to several parents, who wrote to Patch to see if the media can bring attention to the problem. Middletown school superintendent Jessica Alfone confirmed there is a problem with the heaters in some classrooms, and that the affected classes have been temporarily relocated.

The classes with faulty heat seem to be in the 300 wing of the building, say the parents. Teachers were initially telling students to bring blankets to class with them, said parents. But once the district was made aware of the problem this week, all the affected students were moved to warmer rooms, said Alfone.

While the no heat has been especially noticed this week, the parents say poor heat in Thorne has been an issue since Thanksgiving.

"300 wing classes haven't had heat the entire school year," said one Thorne mom, who did not want to give her name, on Wednesday. "It has been freezing for a while and they finally relocated classes today."

Alfone said the district is aware of the problem. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Middletown school district was awaiting parts to fix the broken heaters.

"We are newly aware that some classrooms at Thorne are experiencing issues with their heating units and our facilities staff has already ordered parts for repair," Alfone told Patch Wednesday. "In the interim, we have temporary heating in those rooms, and we have offered teachers alternative spaces for instruction."

She said space heaters have been put in the affected classrooms, and teachers in those classrooms have been temporarily relocated to where heat is fully functioning.