HISD adds 2 more schools to closures list due to air conditioning failures
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly 40 Houston ISD campuses are closed Tuesday due to ongoing issues at the buildings, including no air conditioning, as the district continues recovering from last Thursday's destructive storm.
Thirty-six schools were already planning not to open, but that number grew to 38 after HISD said that the air conditioning failed overnight at both Marshall Middle School and Hamilton Middle School.
Both of those campuses will stay closed Tuesday.
The video above is from a previous report.
"We cannot serve students safely at this time," the district said of Marshall and Hamilton.
These are the other HISD campuses that are closed:
- Barrick Elementary School
- Benbrook Elementary School
- Berry Elementary School
- Black Middle School
- Browning Elementary School
- Burrus Elementary School
- Cage Elementary School
- Chrysalis Middle School
- Clifton Middle School
- Elementary Discipline Alternative Education Program (DAEP EL)
- Dogan Elementary School
- Field Elementary School
- Forest Brook Middle School
- Furr Middle School
- Garden Oaks Montessori
- Harper DAEP
- Roland P. Harris Elementary School
- Harvard Elementary School
- Heights High School
- Hilliard Elementary School
- Hogg Middle School
- Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School
- Janowski Elementary School
- North Houston Early College High School
- Northline Elementary School
- Oak Forest Elementary School
- Robinson Elementary School
- Roosevelt Elementary School
- Scarborough High School
- Secondary DAEP
- Sinclair Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Sugar Grove Middle School
- Mark White Elementary School
- Whittier Elementary School
- Waltrip High School
HISD campuses not named on the list will be open, the district said.
HISD will distribute light meals to students of the above campuses between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the YDC Sunrise Center at 6050 Bretshire Drive.
Campuses will also provide learning packets for students to complete at home if they are able.
The district also will relax the dress code for the next few days for open campuses to help families manage the storm's impacts.
This comes after HISD posted about the closures Monday evening, hours after classes were halted at 54 campuses.
However, that didn't include Reynolds Elementary School and Heights High School, where classes began but later dismissed after air conditioning issues on campus.
On Sunday afternoon, HISD assured select campuses would have power, a fully functional cooling system, and ready-to-serve food service.
That turned out not to be the case, however, for all campuses.
In a message sent to parents of Heights High School students late on Monday morning, Principal Wendy Hampton said classes would be canceled for the remainder of the day, Monday, due to ongoing problems with the air conditioning.
The students were dismissed immediately and were provided with a lunch to take home if they wanted.
Students at Lamar High School were sent home early following a gas leak, the Houston Fire Department confirmed. Principal Rita Graves called out to parents, notifying them of the situation and told them to look for updates on a plan. The school was back open as of Tuesday morning.
Parents of students at Reynolds Elementary School were notified by the principal that due to air conditioning issues, classes were canceled for the remainder of the day. The district provided transportation for students who needed it.
Scarborough High School is among the campuses that are still in the dark.
ABC13 was at the school on Monday, where crews were seen working to restore the power. We asked the district if generators were being installed but could not get an answer.
Damage was also spotted near Sinclair Elementary School in the Lazybrook-Timbergrove area.
PREVIOUS REPORT: HISD releases list of select campuses that will open on Monday after closures due to deadly storm
HISD said Sinclair is one of four campuses with significant damage - Pugh, Robinson, and Paige elementary schools are the others.
Superintendent Mike Miles said schools without power are the biggest issue.
"The goal is to try and get every school ready by Monday, if the power comes on, so kids can go to school. It will be their choice. If the power is out at their house, hopefully, they will be in a position to come to school where there is power," Miles said.
Miles says that depending on the situation, they may bus students from schools without power to schools with power.
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