SAN ANTONIO – Classes will resume Monday at all schools in the San Antonio Independent School District after widespread heating system failures prompted the shutdown of all 98 schools in the district.
“Ensuring the opening of school on Monday remains our utmost priority,” Superintendent Jaime Aquino said in a news release.
Since the school closures on Thursday and Friday, about 50 HVAC specialists have conducted thorough checks of heating systems and analyzed conditions site-by-site across the district.
District staff and campus leaders will be working throughout the weekend in preparation to welcome students and staff back to classrooms on Monday.
“Over the past few days, our team has been diligently focused on this matter, and this dedication will persist through the weekend as we navigate the reopening process next week,” Aquino said. “Our primary goal is to ensure that we can fulfill our commitment to our school community.”
District officials said that all student absences from Jan. 16-19 will automatically be counted as excused absences, and notes from parents are not needed. In addition, perfect attendance reports will exclude the four days from the calculation.
Students have been provided with instructional resources through the district’s website, and more than 18,000 meals have been distributed to children through curbside pickups at the campuses since Wednesday, the news release said.
The shutdown cost two district leaders their jobs.
Aquino said he accepted the resignations of Ken Thompson, Deputy Superintendent of Operations, and Mike Eaton, Chief of Operations, but said the current situation stems from several issues “including aging infrastructure, system failures and being underfunded by the state.”
Aquino added that the district is collecting information that will be used to formulate a long-term plan that “prevents a recurrence of this situation.”