(Story courtesy of WVLT) Knoxville, TN – A decision from Knox County Schools to keep students in class on Wednesday amid the coldest temperatures so far this winter is causing frustration among some parents.

“As we looked at each of the facilities, and then again this morning, we were good to go,” Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said in an interview with WVLT News on Tuesday.

In response to Rysewyk’s interview, several parents contacted WVLT News expressing concerns.

“Say that our kids come first, but at the same time they’re putting them out here in this weather that we’re in a state of emergency for,” said parent Jennifer Rose.

Rose runs a non-profit: Lift East Tennessee. In that role, she works closely with several schools. She said some teachers, assistants and students have told her there are classrooms without heat.

“Even like late November, early December, we’re struggling with heat systems,” Rose said. “If a child is sitting in their classroom and they’re freezing, they’re not paying attention to what you’re going over.”

In response to these claims, a communications representative with KCS gave a statement over text:

“Our maintenance and energy management teams are able to centrally monitor the status of all school campuses. Any time a system goes offline or drops below an appropriate temperature, we are aware and begin actively working to address the issue.

If a staff member experiences an individualized concern, they are also able to submit a work order that is quickly reviewed and addressed by maintenance.”Knox County Schools

Other notable concerns from parents included school bus wait times in frigid temperatures. The district’s daily bus report noted some delays Wednesday morning, ranging from five minutes to two hours.

“Things happen, but you got busses on that list two hours late and that’s unacceptable,” said parent Kati Goforth. “For your child to have to stand in eight-degree weather waiting on a school bus with a wind chill of zero and below… it just shouldn’t happen.”

WVLT News contacted KCS about the bus times on Wednesday. A district representative sent a statement:

“Of the 1,200 routes our bus contractors run, 15 were delayed this morning. This is not unusual for a district of our size, and our Transportation Department uses ParentSquare to notify families as soon as we learn of a potential delay.”Knox County Schools