By Charlotte Aguilar
Houston ISD pushed back the start date for students at its 280 schools Thursday (Aug. 31) to Monday, Sept. 11, although administrators will report to duty Sept. 5 and teachers and other staff on Sept. 8. A come-as-you-are clothing policy will be in effect through January, showing sensitivity to the fact that families may have fled stormwaters with only the clothing on their backs.
There’s one big caveat, though. Teams from the district are still assessing damages on the campuses, and unlike its news release, the district’s tweet on the opening qualified the date with “weather and facility conditions permitting.”
Earlier, Superintendent Richard Carranza told ABC-13 that the 45 facilities inspected to that point had issues with roofs, water and power. He said evaluations are being based on the overall condition of the area’s infrastructure including roads, if the individual campuses are safe, and if the staff is ready to return.
District personnel were going to be visiting shelters to assess the needs of and plan transportation for students.
“We are eager to get our students back into the classroom and learning,” said Carranza. “We want to provide the stability of a routine…”
The HISD school year had been scheduled to start last Monday, right when Houston was in the most desperate flooding and evacuation conditions. It was first delayed until after Labor Day, set for Sept. 5.
Updates on the return to school are available on the district’s Inclement Weather Hotline at 713-556-9595, by text message alerts available by texting YES to 68453 on cell phones, or via the Houston ISD Twitter and Facebook accounts.
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