Round Rock ISD monitoring winter weather expected next week

CTX school districts prepare for cold weather

Round Rock ISD Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez says the district is closely monitoring the weather to give them enough time to alert parents and students if classes have to be canceled.

ROUND ROCK, Texas - School districts across Central Texas are monitoring the winter weather expected next week.

Round Rock ISD Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez says the district is closely monitoring the weather to give them enough time to alert parents and students if classes have to be canceled.

Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing this weekend. And it’s all hands-on deck to make sure that there’s a plan in place when it comes to bad weather.

"We take the safety and security of our students as well as our staff very seriously. The last thing we want is we don't want to put our students, our parents, our staff in a situation where they end up, you know, in an accident or bad situation related to the weather," says Round Rock ISD superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez.

ERCOT issues Winter Weather Watch

Ahead of next week's cold weather, ERCOT has put out a Winter Weather Watch.

To make sure there are no incidents, Dr. Azaiez says the district is working with the Williamson County emergency team to double-check if roads are passable before sending buses on their first routes at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning.

"We cancel classes every time there's weather that would put the safety and security of our students or our staff in jeopardy. And we know it'll be best to keep them home," says Azaiez.

Because the weather in Texas can be unpredictable at times, school districts include bad weather make-up days in the case they have to cancel classes.

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"We already have two full days dedicated to bad weather to make up for those two days, in case we lose two days. But also, what we did this year, our district also added five minutes to the school day, five minutes every day. And that gives us the equivalent of two other full days for bad weather," says Azaiez.

Over the winter break, maintenance crews have gone through each campus to make sure the schools can handle winter weather.

"Our staff were actually working to maintain our heaters and HVAC units and things like that," says Azaiez.

Austin to see very cold weather soon

Looking ahead to next week, Central Texas is in for some very cold weather, especially during the overnight hours. Amanda Ruiz takes a look at how to prepare for freezing and sub-freezing temps.

"Same thing goes with our buses. Our mechanics have also been doing an amazing thing. And they are. And don't wait till the last minute to check on the buses and make sure they're working fine," says Azaiez.

A common question parents have: what's the plan if bad weather rolls during school hours?

"In the past, we had a situation where it was best to keep the students inside the campuses and not let them go outside because the outside was going to put them in an unsafe situation. And sometimes, for example, we had to cancel after-school programs," says Azaiez.

Another thing Dr. Azaiez wants to remind parents to make sure your contact information is up-to-date with your child’s school. That way, you can get alerted as soon as possible.