SAN ANTONIO – With winter weather expected to arrive early next week, San Antonio school districts are each preparing differently for inclement weather.
>> Read the latest weather forecast here.
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KSAT has reached out to several school districts to learn how they prepare for upcoming wintry weather conditions.
Here’s a list of statements from districts considering the event of possible school closures:
East Central Independent School District
The district said they communicate with Bexar County officials to stay informed about road conditions and monitor potential power outages.
ECISD mentions that if closure is necessary, the district will reach out by 5 a.m.
“ECISD takes proactive measures year-round to prepare students and staff for the unpredictable weather common in South Texas.
When bad weather is anticipated, administrators closely monitor forecasts, coordinate with neighboring districts, and work alongside our operations and transportation teams to assess road conditions and facility power. These efforts help ensure decisions prioritize the safety and security of students and staff. If closures are necessary, the district will strive to communicate decisions by 5 a.m. on the school day.
Information about severe weather, delays, or closures will be shared through the following channels:
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ParentLink Notifications: Calls, emails, texts, and app notifications
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TalkingPoints Notifications
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Website: ecisd.net
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Facebook: facebook.com/ecproud
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Instagram: instagram.com/ecisdig
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X (formerly Twitter): x.com/ECISDtweets
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Local News Stations (when applicable)
We also talk with Bexar County concerning road closures and Bexar County Energy Management regarding possible power outages.”
KSAT asked if an ECISD team would drive the roads on the morning of a potential closure.The district responded,“That is one aspect we do, yes.”
The district also stated that their temperature threshold is determined by “The point of freezing and precipitation”being the “major factor.”
North East Independent School District
A team, including the North East ISD superintendent, will drive to evaluate road conditions starting at 3:30 a.m. on the day of anticipated winter weather. School closure decisions are made by 5 a.m.
North East ISD will follow the following procedure, “In the event of possible inclement weather.”
“In the event of possible inclement weather, a team of people, including the superintendent and Transportation personnel, drives the roadways starting around 3:30 a.m. This team drives all areas of our District to assess the road conditions. Just because an overpass may be closed, does not mean there is not a safe, alternate route that our bus drivers or other motorists can use. We are also in touch with other school districts. Many of our teachers and staff live in other districts, so if that district is closed, our employees may face childcare challenges and won’t be able to come to work.
A decision regarding school closures must be made by 5 a.m. in order to get buses moving and allow ample time for notification of families. Once the decision is made, you will find the announcement in your email/text, on our District website at neisd.net (http://www.neisd.net/), as well as on our social media channels. We will also alert local radio and TV stations.
We will always make the best decision we can for our NEISD staff and students with the information we have at that time.”
Northside Independent School District
NISD will have district staff drive and “gauge road conditions” early in the morning.
The district will make decisions based on input from weather experts, Bexar County officials, and the superintendent.
The superintendent communicates with other local school district leaders to “gauge conditions across the greater San Antonio area” before making a final decision.
“We communicate with the national weather service and local city/county officials in advance of anticipated inclement weather. We always try to make a decision with as much advance notice for our families, but at times that may not always be possible due to fast-changing weather conditions. In that case, we often send district staff – NISD Police, transportation, and central office administration – out very early in the morning to drive and gauge road conditions. In addition, we receive reports from our Facilities & Operations staff to gauge the conditions of our schools ensuring vital utilities (electricity and water) access has not been disrupted to any of our sites.
In addition to weather experts and county officials, our Superintendent is also in communication with other local school district leaders to gauge conditions across the greater San Antonio area. (As you can imagine, even though our students live in NISD, many of our staff live in other parts of the city or county outside of NISD.)
If a decision is made to cancel classes, we then communicate that out to our families through our website, social media, and messaging system as well as via local media outlets.
Again, our preference is always going to be to try and make a decision early (the night before) but when a decision has to be made in the early morning, we work to get that decision made and communicated out very early.”
This is a developing story. KSAT will update this story as more districts respond with its statements.
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