Dear Mr. Ullman

This is a letter I wrote today...thought I would share.  Maybe if enough people see it, then my sister can go to school without suffering from heat exhaustion.

Dear Mr. Ullman,

                Now I know you are a newly appointed CEO.  I congrulate you for that.  I want to tell you a story.  My mom and I had a conversation yesterday.  She had just picked up my sister from high school for another half day.  This is her 8^th day in a row of half days.  You see, she attends JCPenney High School in Hamilton, MO.  You may or may not know this but JC Penney high school was named after the founder of your company.  He grew up in Hamilton, MO.  There is even a museum there for him.  This high school is famous for their sports in their small town.  The town rallies around their school, especially for football season.  But it is awfully hard for these kids to get the education they deserve when they have half days.  You know why they have had half days every single day since school started???  Because their school doesn’t have air conditioning!!!  It is so dang hot that they have to let the kids out before noon because it gets too hot in the school.  My sister said she has migraines from the heat.  Today the classroom tempurature reached 93 degrees.  They have the same problem at the end of the school year.  So why am I writing you?  Because this is the school named after your company--This school is your founder’s school!!!  These kids could possibly be working for you some day…and they can’t have a full day of education because it’s so blasted hot in YOUR company’s school.  Granted, I know they probably enjoy having half days except they don’t enjoy the time they are at school with the heat and can’t concentrate because their heads are pounding.

Now I know there was a ton of controversy around the ad you presented about kids being the “cool” kids at school by what they wear and it entices bullying.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/14/jcpenney-back-to-school-ad_n_3756517.html (I actually shop at JCPenney’s.  I bought my daughter’s clothes there last year and I currently buy my husband’s clothes there because you sell Big and Tall clothes at a decent price.  I appreciate you doing that!)  But here is the deal,  I think you can redeem yourselves here by actually making these kids “cool” at your school.  It’s not just the kids, but can you imagine being a teacher and teaching in the hot building?  I can’t even imagine...I keep my thermostat at 70!  Now I know they didn’t have air conditioning back when James Cash Penney was born in 1875, but we are in the 21^st century.  Technology is expanding every day and having a background working with Apple, you should know this.  If you want these kids to be the next generation, they the need a FULL day of education EVERY DAY…not just when it’s cool enough for them to attend.

I really look forward to hearing that you had taken a great intiative as new CEO, and taken this little school in Hamilton, MO under your wing and make it a “cool” school!

Sincerely,

Tina Sterzer, a concerned sister