By Michael Quirk

michael.quirk@oxfordeagle.com

The Lafayette County School District school board met in regular session on Tuesday night for the special end-of-year closeout meeting. While the meeting was short, it was the mention of shortness of breath that headlined the gathering.

Cara-Anne Sallis, a volleyball player and senior at Lafayette High School, addressed the board for the need of air conditioning inside the school’s gymnasium. Currently, the team is practicing twice per week in the gym but the efforts will be ramped up beginning in July. Sallis said the absence of air conditioning in the gym is an anomaly among local schools.

“We are the only high school in 4A without a/c in our gym,” she said. “Our rival, Oxford High School, refuses to play us until the last game of the year because it’s so hot.”

Sallis spoke of the health concerns for students playing sports and participating in physical education, claiming temperatures in the gym reach up to 115 degrees in the heat index. She recalled a time when one player’s grandmother had to quit attending games due to fears for her health in the immense heat.

LCSD Superintendent Adam Pugh commended Sallis’ speech and said he has spoken with district personnel about a portable unit and the matter will be looked into further.