HISD students return to cold classroom as heat went out at several campuses after weekend freeze

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As many HISD students return to the classroom for the first time following the weekend freeze, ABC13 has been getting reports of area schools without heat.

"It was really cold. I could not feel my feet, and since we were on the second floor with the auditorium, I had to go to the third floor, and when I was going up there, my legs felt wobbly," Hamilton Middle School student Ariatnne Castillo said.

Mom Leslie Cueves said, thankfully, she had the day off and was able to pick up her daughter and get home to the warmth, but she wasn't surprised to hear about the problem either.

"Two of my kids came to this school, and my son was telling me they had issues," Cueves said.

HISD has been transparent for years that the HVAC and heating systems at some of its schools are outdated and need to be replaced. This was a key selling point for the $4.4B bond voters turned down in 2024.

Mom Erika Guzman said she was happy with the early communication Hamilton parents received about the heating situation and trusts her child is being kept safe.

"The school always communicates on all platforms. In this day and age, 100% of the parents have social media, and they are really quick to jump on that platform to communicate, so we get a play-by-play of everything happening," Guzman said.

Hamilton wasn't the only school facing a cold school day. Parents and staff at Welch and Paul Revere Middle Schools reached out to Eyewitness News, detailing a day of early pick-ups.

A person identifying themselves as a staff member at Welch Middle sent ABC13 a photo showing inside temperatures at a low 47 degrees on Tuesday morning.

ABC13 reached out to the district for more information on how many campuses are impacted, but they did not answer that question. They did send a statement saying parents were notified and students were made safe and as comfortable as possible as maintenance crews worked to resolve any problems.

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