San Antonio ISD closes 27 schools due to burst pipes, heating issues

San Antonio Independent School District closed 27 campuses Wednesday after frigid temperatures resulted in burst pipes and heat outages.

In an email to parents, SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino apologized for the district’s lack of functioning facilities and acknowledged that the district’s preparations for the arctic blast fell short.

“Our Facilities staff were onsite where needed, working quickly to restore heat,” Aquino wrote in an email sent to parents Tuesday. “School leaders assembled students in the warmest areas of their buildings and provided bottled water where necessary. Hot meals were ready for our students, and instruction continued. As always, I am impressed with the dedication of our staff to fully embrace our students’ needs. But I am not satisfied with how our day started.”

Aquino added: “I regret that our preparations did not meet expectations.”

Indeed, several SAISD schools reportedly experienced burst pipes. One school secretary, who asked not to be named because she didn’t obtain district approval to grant an interview, told the Current that her campus’ front office didn’t get above 57 degrees Tuesday.

SAISD initially closed 20 campuses Tuesday afternoon. Officials announced the closure of an additional seven early Wednesday.

The closures come after Aquino and the district faced backlash from parents on social media Tuesday, many of whom said it was simply too cold to have school.

“Not all these schools can handle these low temps,” concerned parent Nikki Madeksho Enright commented on a SAISD’s Facebook post about classes moving forward on Tuesday. “Better send someone to turn on all the heaters and boilers tonight in those old buildings.”

Other parents posting on Facebook expressed concern that SAISD didn’t close all its campuses as the wind chill dipped into the teens Wednesday morning.

“All schools should be closed,” Ella Sanchez Torres commented. “Close one, close all.”

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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.