MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Shelby County School board members are speaking out after some parents complained they weren’t getting important communication from the district.

On Monday, 12 schools dismissed students early because of problems with their air conditioning. Those issues were fixed in nine of those schools by Tuesday, but with high temperatures set for this week, some parents still have concerns.

“Yesterday, we early released 12 schools for heating conditions in a building as we prioritize the safety of our most precious cargo,” MSCS Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins said.

With no media present, Dr. Feagins held a media briefing in the form of a video statement to address schools and problems with air conditioning.

“While we are grateful, the board and I, as we work towards solutions where we stop talking about hopes and dreams and we’re able to see actions,” Dr. Feagins said.

Actions the community is still waiting to see.

Over the past 24 hours, WREG has reached out to the district several times but has yet to hear back on what’s being done to address the aging infrastructure.

Earlier on Tuesday, WREG reported on parents being upset with their children being dismissed from school early in the first two days of the school year.

“They had time to make sure these things were straightened out before the school year started,” one parent said. “So, they need to prioritize things with high importance, especially the air.”

So, WREG turned to school board members about the communication breakdown.

“What you did witness the district doing and Dr. Feagins was pulling our resources together to bring in people to help us get HVAC problems addressed overnight,” said MSCS Board Chair Dr. Althea Greene.

Dr. Greene said she predicts smooth sailing for the rest of the week.

But another board member is urging patience among the community.

“We give the county commission a long list of deferred maintenance every year and the county commission don’t have money to satisfy us in deferred maintenance,” Stephanie Love said.

Love told WREG she received a list of schools with HVAC issues on Sunday night.

She added that she believes that parents of students who attend those schools should have been notified immediately and hopes that will happen in the future.

Going forward, the board could be asking the state for more funding to address the aging infrastructure problems.

“Steve Cohen brought money in for us to get a new bridge,” Dr. Greene said. “Hey, I need somebody to bring money in so we can get new heating and air units for our schools.”