Area Schools Report Heat-Related Problems

Friday, August 13th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The heat is a concern for many of the school districts surrounding Tulsa as they went back to school Thursday. For the most part, students kept their cool and things went off without a hitch. But there were a few glitches, as the News on Six discovered.

The first day of school is always exciting. New faces, new teachers, new classes and even a new school for some students. Broken Arrow sixth graders listened as teachers explained how lunch hour at the middle school works. It's a big building for the young newcomers who are used to smaller elementary schools. "I've been lost a few times, so I asked teachers," said student Aubree Harvey. Broken Arrow schools did not report any serious first day problems, but they are taking extra heat precautions. During physical education classes, students were kept inside. Principals say they're allowing students to take frequent water breaks.

Some of the air conditioning units were down for awhile in Jenks. "If you stand real still, you kind of feel a little bit of cool," said Charlotte Hildebrant, Jenks music teacher. "That will be an obstacle for all of us to deal with." But all of the units were up and running by the end of the day.

It appears the first day of classes went well for Union Public Schools. The administration says it's trying to do what it can to keep students cool. "With the ozone alert days and heat index being so high, we make sure students stay indoors and not go out but limited time for recess," said Cathy Collins, Cedar Ridge principal.

But heat or not, students eager to learn are trying to keep cool during the long hot, summer months. Thursday was the also the first day of school for Bixby, Berryhill, Beggs, Bristow, Liberty, Mannford and Skiatook schools. No serious problems were reported.