ASAN, Guam (August 17, 2026) - Joint Region Marianas and Department of War Education Activity officials are continuing around-the-clock efforts to restore reliable air conditioning at Commander William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School following another equipment failure early Monday.
Maintenance teams worked throughout the weekend to repair the school’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. A chiller was restored late Sunday but stopped operating again early Monday. Technicians remain on site troubleshooting the equipment and working to restore cooling capacity.
DoWEA implemented an early-dismissal schedule Monday, Aug. 17, because of rising temperatures inside the school. The school will be dismissing buses at 12:30 from the school. Parents can pick up students immediately. Students will not be left at the bus stop. If a responsible adult is not present, students will be brought back to the school. Schedule changes will be sent directly to parents and guardians through email, Everbridge and its official Facebook page.
“Our highest priority is taking care of our children and ensuring they have a safe environment for learning,” said Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, commander, Joint Region Marianas. “Our maintenance and support teams have worked days, nights and throughout the weekend to address these issues. We know this has disrupted our students, families and educators, and we will continue working with DoWEA until we have a reliable, lasting solution.”
The immediate effort is focused on restoring full temporary chiller capacity. Concurrently, maintenance teams are repairing the school’s two permanent chillers, including completing required maintenance and obtaining necessary materials from off island. Joint Region Marianas and DoWEA will continue monitoring conditions inside the school and adjust school operations as necessary until reliable cooling is restored.
Parents and guardians should continue monitoring McCool’s official communication channels
for the latest information regarding school schedules and operations.