HOUSTON – The impact of the Texas winter storm forced several school districts to remain closed at this time.
The Houston Independent School District is included on the list.
The district said it’s closed through at least Tuesday, which means no virtual or in-person learning. School officials are continuing their efforts to help thousands and work to get students back in the classroom.
Millions of Texans are still recovering from last week’s winter storm. On Sunday, HISD held a massive food and water distribution site with the Houston Food Bank at NRG Stadium and served around 5,000 families.
“Giving out water, it’s been a difficult week for us in Houston and the entire state, but I am so thankful for the nutrition service department being able to serve the community. We are giving out fruits, veggies, milk, water and protein,” said Grenita Lathan, HISD Superintendent.
She said it is much-needed help for families who are still struggling.
“For our campuses. We have had over 130 campuses and our administration building lose power. We have identified as of yesterday 330 issues that we needed to address,” Lathan said.
KPRC 2 has asked school leaders how many of the district’s schools, facilities and buildings sustained damage due to this week’s winter storm, which include busted pipes, corroded sheetrock and carpet.
“We are working and that’s why we decided to close that initial part of the week so that we can get into all of our campuses and conduct any necessary repairs. We are experiencing issues with supplies just like everyone else as far as items we need to repair different portions in our buildings,” Lathan said.
For now, the district plans to hold more food and water distribution sites throughout the week.
Students will return to school virtually on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then, they will return to face-to-face instruction on March 1.
The district is also working with faculty and staff who experienced hardship from the storm.
They will also be assisting our families in distributing food boxes in partnership with the Houston Food Bank.
The food distributions dates and locations are below:
- Monday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Hattie Mae White, 4400 W. 18th St.
- Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Barnett Stadium, 6800 Fairway Dr.
Further food distribution information will be provided as details are available.