Pasadena ISD reopens all but 1 school on Friday after EF3 tornado ripped through area

PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- Pasadena ISD's director of communications called the reopening of the district's schools on Friday a tough decision but the right one.

Out of the 68 schools in the district, Art Del Barrio told ABC13 that four of them were affected by the EF-3 tornado that ripped through the area on Tuesday.

Despite Del Barrio admitting that a majority of residents are having to stay home, he said "it wasn't an easy decision with all the devastation in the area, but leaders did feel it was a right decision to make."

"If I were a parent and dealing with home devastation, the best place is for their kids to be in school. You're going to have insurance companies to deal with, and some parents have to go to work," he said.

SEE RELATED STORY: Tornado in Pasadena, Deer Park preliminarily rated as EF3, NWS confirms

Beverly Hills Intermediate will be the only school in the district to remain closed after several branches were seen still hanging from trees Thursday evening, according to Del Barrio, which is a safety issue.

"It was important to keep that school closed. A branch could fall on a child, and there's just so much room for accidents," Del Barrio said.

He said they anticipate Beverly Hills reopening on Monday.

The district plans to assess how schools executed instructions during the event of a tornado and discuss if anything could have been done better.