Leuven School Heating Crisis: Principal Gerd Ronsmans Suspends Classes for 50 Students

Leuven (Eurotoday): The school faced heating issues post-autumn break, affecting nursery and first-grade classrooms. Director Gerd Ronsmans closed the school for the day, relocating 50 children to a heated building.

After the autumn break, the school faced heating problems that affected the nursery and first-grade classrooms. Director Gerd Ronsmans noted that the issue was less serious for toddlers, as their active play helped keep them warm, especially since the weather wasn’t too cold. However, the school still needed extra steps to ensure the children’s comfort.

What measures are being taken to keep first graders warm during heating issues?

It has been said that the situation was tougher for first graders, who spend a lot of time sitting still in class. With not enough heating, it became very cold for them. To help, the school asked parents to dress their kids warmly. Toddlers were encouraged to wear fleece jackets or onesies, while first graders were bundled up to stay warm. These measures were necessary to keep the children comfortable until the heating system could be repaired.

A few electric heaters were set up in classrooms, but the school’s electrical system couldn’t support them, causing temperatures to drop to 11 degrees. The director decided to close the nursery school and first grade. Parents were notified, and most found alternative childcare, while around 50 children are being cared for in another building with working heating. The school plans to reopen on Monday after adding more electrical support for the heaters and fixing the heating boiler. The director expressed hope that the repair issues would be resolved soon, as he is worried about the cold winter ahead.