As cold weather bites hard, the San Antonio Independent School District announced late last night the closure of 22 schools ealier today, after a day fraught with heating issues that left students in the cold and frustrated parents demanding action. According to a statement on the district's official Facebook page, these closures are for necessary repairs to ensure "proper room temperature." Administrators, custodial staff, and child nutrition workers are to still report to the affected schools, with meal pickups available curbside from noon to 1 p.m.
Superintendent Jaime Aquino sent out an apology letter yesterday, acknowledging the predicament and expressing regret. "Our preparations fell short today, and I am deeply sorry," Aquino stated. He proceeded to admit the district's failures, with system breakdowns and "boilers that were slow to heat the buildings and water issues related to burst pipes," as revealed in a report by the San Antonio Report. The district had previously decided not to delay or cancel school, after discussions suggested satisfactory road conditions and no powers outages were anticipated.
Parents' discontent simmered as tales of improvised heating solutions and disruptions emerged. Raven Duron, a parent at Lamar Elementary School, detailed her experience to the San Antonio Report, saying that "around 10:30, I made the decision to pick up my son from school as the classroom was still freezing cold." One Highlands High School parent told KENS 5 her child's class had to move to the cafeteria due to the chill, but noted there were no official notifications regarding the conditions at the campus.
Amid the chaos, Aquino's message, the school's efforts to amass students in warmer areas and ensure hot meals were ready. Still, some parents feel the district did not quickly enough act to remedy the problems. More than 300 individuals voiced their frustration on SAISD's Facebook announcement. "San Antonio ISD do the right thing by closing all the schools and get it done rights the first time," one parent commented, as reported by KENS 5.
