There will be closures at local school districts this week.
In response to winter weather approaching the area, Taylor ISD, Granger ISD, Thrall ISD and Coupland ISD will be closed Thursday, Feb. 3. Hutto ISD and Temple College will be closed Thursday and Friday, Feb. 4.
“We encourage everyone to stay home and stay off the roadways. Taylor ISD support staff will winterize facilities to keep staff and students safe upon their return,” said Taylor ISD in a statement. “Our district calendar is built with more minutes than the State of Texas requires. Because of this, we will not need to make up tomorrow's school closure.”
Taylor ISD said it would monitor weather conditions in coordination with city and Williamson County emergency management officials and announce a decision about Friday by Thursday afternoon.
Like Taylor, Hutto ISD made the decision for the closure due to possible ice on the roadways, making travel unsafe. They have extended that closure into Friday.
“While the district had a surplus of instructional minutes to cover Thursday, a make-up day will be required for the Friday closure,” said Superintendent Celina Thomas. “Students will attend classes on Friday, April 15.”
Hutto ISD activities — practices, rehearsals, games — are canceled. Some athletic events will be rescheduled on Saturday morning, Feb. 5. Athletes and parents should check in with their respective coaches.
Friday is designated as a staff non-work day at Hutto ISD since the district will have to make up the day on April 15. Hourly employees should watch for a communication from the payroll department for completing timesheets. Anyone scheduled for close contact COVID-19 testing will need to come for testing on Monday, February 7.
Granger ISD and Thrall ISD initially announced two-hour delays for at least Thursday. However, as the forecast evolved throughout Wednesday, Feb. 2, each school district made the decision to close their campuses for Thursday.
“While I wanted to wait until our noon call today, it is evident that the road conditions will not be safe for travel and two-hour delays will not suffice with continuous precipitation and freezing temperatures,” said Superintendent Jeni Neatherlin in regards to Granger. "The majority of our roads are not treated like our highways are. We will keep an eye on the weather and work closely with the County Emergency Management Team as well as our city."
Neatherlin said that a decision regarding Friday would be made by noon Thursday.
"We will not have to make these days or time up," said Neatherlin, "because we built a district calendar with more minutes than required by law for situations such as these."
Thrall and Coupland school districts also said that a decision would be announced Thursday regarding classes on Friday.
Meanwhile, Temple College's campuses will be shut down, but classes will go on.
"Due to inclement weather and safety concerns, Temple College will close all campuses – including those in Taylor and Hutto – Thursday and Friday," said Eric Eckert, Temple College, executive director of strategic communications and outreach at Temple College, "and will move to remote services and online learning. Campuses will maintain regular business hours via remote services."
Morning travel could be hazardous on elevated bridges, overpasses and untreated roads from freezing rain and sleet. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Williamson County Thursday from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m.
