School Closings: Campuses in Fort Worth, Mesquite, Plano closed; some start late on Wednesday
DALLAS - The 89 hours of freezing temperatures did some significant damage to some campuses across North Texas school districts.
Plano, Fort Worth and Mesquite ISDs all had to deal with closed campuses Wednesday because of burst pipes or broken heaters. The schools worked feverishly in hopes of getting damaged campuses dried out and back open in time for kids to return to school on Thursday.
LIST: Winter Weather Closings
With a boiler out at B.J. Smith Elementary in Mesquite ISD, the bitterly cold temperatures caused the pipes in the school's sprinkler system to burst Tuesday evening.
Fortunately, when the sprinklers burst, the fire department received an alert enabling them to quickly shut the water off.
Then, Mesquite ISD staff worked through the night to clear out the flood of water covering the floors in the front office, computer lab and part of the library.
"We made sure we did not have water damage at the bottom," said B.J. Smith Elementary Principal Stacy Bennett. "We moved books. The water popped open the shelving."
Wednesday, staff worked to reroute office phones to move the school office to a classroom.
"A lot happening in a short time to be ready for kids," the principal said.
Bennett says with the front atrium being repaired, students will be rerouted at dismissal.
"I’ve been on the phone all day with teachers, letting them know this is the plan for tomorrow," she said.
In addition to Smith Elementary, Fort Worth ISD’s Polytechnic High School was also closed Wednesday as staff worked to make repairs.
And in Plano ISD, Hendrick Middle School remained closed also due to burst pipes.
By and large, most schools across North Texas avoided any significant damage.
Back at Smith Elementary, Bennett says the goal to get kids into classrooms Thursday is a tall order but important.
"We're going to open. Welcome those kids in. Be able to pivot," she said.
Dallas ISD says it had 11 burst pipes out of its 260 buildings, but the district was able to reopen all of its campuses on Wednesday. A spokesperson says they credit that to their teams who worked around the clock over the weekend for the preventive care of their campuses.
North Texas School Closings & Delays
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Tuesday's Snow Day
Many North Texas students got an extra day off school on Tuesday.
Dallas ISD defended its decision to close, saying mechanical, electrical, and plumbing teams needed time to check out the buildings.
The district also did not want students waiting for buses or walking to school in the dangerously cold weather.
North Texas school districts defend decision to cancel Tuesday classes
Having schools closed when the streets were clear and most employers operating with business as usual created a challenge for working parents. School district leaders explained what was behind their decision.
A few school districts decided to open.
Parents in Frisco ISD who spoke to FOX 4 said they were thankful conditions were not worse.
"It’s cold out but just made sure he was layered up and he was prepared for any situation that he needed to go outside. So that’s all we could do," said Kesha Mujuru, a Frisco ISD parent.
"It wasn’t that bad today. I mean, the roads were good, so we didn’t have a problem dropping her at school," added Selbam Dhangavel, another parent.
The large districts like Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington ISDs will return to the classroom as normal on Wednesday.
Dallas ISD said campuses will open their doors 30 minutes earlier than usual, so students don't have to wait outside.
The district urged families to send students to school with warm clothing, including gloves and hats.