This story has been updated.
Twenty-eight campuses were closed for repairs across the San Antonio Independent School District on Wednesday after faltering systems and frigid temperatures caused complications throughout the district Tuesday, angering parents.
The district on Tuesday issued a list of 20 schools that would be closed, then added an additional eight schools Wednesday morning.
The schools closed Wednesday are:
- Ball Elementary
- Bonham Academy
- Brackenridge High School
- Carroll Early Childhood
- CAST Med High School
- Cooper at Navarro Early Childhood
- Crockett Academy
- Edison High School
- Herff Elementary
- Hillcrest Elementary
- Sam Houston High School
- Huppertz Elementary
- Lamar Elementary School
- Lanier High School
- Lowell Middle School
- Margil Elementary
- Maverick Elementary
- Ogden Elementary
- Poe Middle School
- Rogers Academy
- Steele Academy
- Travis Early College High School
- Twain Dual Language Academy
- Washington Elementary
- Whittier Middle School
- Woodlawn Academy
- YWLA-Primary
- YWLA-Secondary
Campus administration, custodial staff and child nutrition services will still report to those schools, according to the district, and curbside meals for students will be available from noon to 1 p.m. Students do not need to be present.
In the statement, the district said absences will not be counted against students at these identified schools.
On Tuesday, students huddled together in classrooms that dipped into the low 50s as systems failed across SAISD on one of the coldest days of the winter so far.
Despite preparations, Superintendent Jaime Aquino said in an apology letter to parents Tuesday afternoon that boilers were slow to heat buildings and there were “water issues related to burst pipes.”
“Today’s return to the classroom during this cold weather was not as successful as we had planned,” he said. “Our preparations fell short today, and I am deeply sorry. As a district, we are here to meet the educational and social needs of our children, and we strive to do this in the safest way possible.”
“But I am not satisfied with how our day started,” he added.
Aquino did not reveal how many campuses were affected by the system failures in his statement.
One parent, Raven Duron, said she got a text from her son’s teacher at Lamar Elementary School after she had already dropped him off, asking for students to come with jackets due to issues with the heat.
As a fallback, Duron brought a space heater for the classroom. Those heaters blew a fuse however, knocking out power for a time.
“Around 10:30, I made the decision to pick up my son from school as the classroom was still freezing cold,” she said, adding that other than texts from a teacher, she received little contact from the school throughout the day.
Another Lamar parent, Dyvontrae Johnson, said he didn’t take any chances and kept his daughters home.
“We presumed since AC didn’t work in the summer, it wouldn’t hold up or be worth it in winter,” he said Tuesday afternoon.
The district closed Burbank High School due to an unspecified issue related to the weather Tuesday. But the rest of the campuses opened as usual.
Kristin Moras, who has a son at Lamar Elementary School, said as temperatures dropped to 51 degrees, teachers consolidated students into fewer classrooms to retain warmth as parents left work early to take their children home.
Aquino said a number of problems led to the situation, including system failures,
“Our facilities staff were onsite where needed, working quickly to restore heat,” he said. “School leaders assembled students in the warmest areas of their buildings and provided bottled water where necessary. Hot meals were ready for our students, and instruction continued.”
Moras said that while other parents had the chance to pick up their children as the reality of the cold classrooms settled in, she and other working parents didn’t have that luxury.
“It is frustrating for parents like me who can’t leave work to pick up their kids,” she said. “Luckily my son was wearing layers and said it was OK, he just wore his jacket all day.”
Aquino acknowledged that in his letter.
“We know many of our families depend on us to care for their children, so that they can go to work,” he said, “For some families, if they can’t make it to work, they may not get paid. Additionally, we typically rely on our buildings being warm and comfortable environments.”
The district announced Monday that it would not be delaying or canceling school due to the weather.
In the letter, Aquino said that the decision not to cancel school was made in conjunction with other area superintendents, the City of San Antonio Emergency Management Department and the National Weather Service.
In those meetings, “it was determined road conditions were in good shape, all roadways were open, and no additional precipitation was expected.”
“Additionally, CPS did not anticipate power outages,” he said.
Outdoor activities were canceled at SAISD and other area districts.
“I regret that our preparations did not meet expectations,” he said. “We will work around the clock to address these issues, and we will be open on Wednesday. We will continue to monitor the situation, and should a campus experience an issue, you will be informed.”
