Freeze left area schools yet ‘another challenge’

After a week of canceled classes due to freezing temperatures and utility outages, San Antonio’s schools started to reopen Monday, but with a few new hurdles in a year already made difficult by pandemic.

“This is just another week where our students have another challenge to overcome,” said Aubrey Chancellor, spokeswoman for the North East Independent School District.

Power and water outages across the state kept classrooms closed, and even with remote learning options in place, many students and school staff did not have power in their homes and were struggling to find water, food and warmth for several days in a row.

“What can you do, when Texas has a horrible snowstorm?” said Brandon Oliver, spokesman for East Central ISD. “You have to think about safety and put that as high, if not a higher priority, than education.”

Many school districts said they are considering asking the Texas Education Agency for permission to absorb the lost learning time without extending the school calendar.

The largest charter networks in San Antonio, KIPP Texas Public Schools and IDEA Public Schools, were closed entirely Monday.

“We recognize that our families might still be dealing with the issues, so we decided to stay closed today to let everyone regroup,” said Jennifer Flores, spokeswoman for IDEA schools in San Antonio.

Many school districts tried to support families throughout the extended closure by providing meals or warming centers, or by spreading the word about helpful resources provided by the city.

North East, San Antonio, Edgewood, South San Antonio and Harlandale ISDS used their facilities to distribute meals on Friday. Southwest, Harlandale and Judson ISDS did so on Saturday as well, and Judson kept a warming center open to the public at the Judson High School gym through much of the week.

But by Sunday afternoon, with electricity and water service restored to most of San Antonio, most school districts began alerting families that their children could return to their classes.

Some individual campuses are still closed due to ongoing repairs or damage caused by bursting water pipes. Students attending those campuses are learning remotely until Tuesday or whenever it is safe to return to the buildings.

In Northside ISD, Mora Elementary School and Harlan High School were the only two campuses still closed for repairs Monday. Four or five other campuses were having heating issues Monday afternoon, but maintenance crews were working to fix them

and the campuses were open, district spokesman Barry Perez said.

Most students and staff in Southwest ISD returned to school Monday, but Southwest High School students will learn remotely through the end of the week. The storm caused “significant water damage” to the campus, Superintendent Lloyd Verstuyft said in a message to parents.

Edgewood ISD reopened all schools except for Stafford Elementary, the Stafford Early Childhood Center and Roosevelt Elementary, as repairs at those campuses continue.

In North East ISD, where all campuses are open, burst pipes at Thousand Oaks Elementary School caused a sprinkler to go off for as long as 24 hours last week, flooding much of the school.

Restrooms in mobile buildings around the district are damaged, and an expensive industrial air-cooled chiller used for air conditioning at one campus broke down. It could take weeks for the district to finish all repairs, Chancellor said.

San Antonio ISD was able to open all of its campuses Monday, and kitchen staff at campuses with low water pressure were following the San Antonio Water System’s boil-water notice.

East Central, South San Antonio, Southside, Alamo Heights and Judson ISDS were able to make needed campus repairs over the weekend and have reopened all schools.

The biggest damage at Southside ISD was to its agricultural program facility, where pipes froze, water got into electrical systems and walls were damaged, said Randy Escamilla, district spokesman.

And while the district will not have to modify its instruction plan this week, Southside officials canceled this week’s planned trial run of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. The preparation session was scrapped in favor of letting teachers go “full time into instruction” before the window to begin administering the state’s standardized tests begins April 6, Escamilla said.

The week of school closures likely added to the learning loss that students have experienced since the start of the pandemic, as many have struggled with remote learning and staying focused on schoolwork.

“Learning loss has been a continued concern, not just from this past week but certainly through COVID,” Perez said. “The biggest piece is going to be re-engaging students, helping them get involved and stay involved with their classes.”

Yet many school district boards will soon decide whether to seek TEA waivers so students don’t have to make up the missed days later in the year.

Perez said Northside ISD is providing opportunities for students to catch up on their work or seek additional support, such as tutoring and other internal enrichment programs. Other school districts have similar resources in place.

“We will meet the children where they are, and we will get them back up to speed,” Chancellor said. “But this is another challenge, another hit that all of our students are now facing.”

Despite the difficult week, students and school staff seemed eager to return to a sense of normalcy, said Patti Pawlik-perales, spokeswoman for Alamo Heights ISD.

“We’re thrilled to be back and so glad to be back with students,” she said.