As the Houston area continues to clean up and recover from the flooding and damage inflicted by Hurricane Harvey, the Houston school district has decided to cancel classes for another week.
The 218,000-student system, the nation's seventh-largest school district, says it plans to begin classes for the 2017-18 on Sept. 11. The district had been set to begin the year on Aug. 28, but after the hurricane made landfall last weekend, Houston and many other area school systems cancelled classes for the entire week.
In a message on the district's web site, Superintendent Richard Carranza says administrative staff and principals will return to work on Sept. 5, and teachers will report to work on Sept. 8.
“We are eager to get our students back into the classroom and learning," says Carranza. "We want to provide the stability of a routine, as well as the three nutritious meals a day that so many of our families depend on.
“But we also need to be sure that our campuses are safe and that Houston’s infrastructure and roads are ready to handle transporting our students safely to school. Our team is currently assessing any damages to our more than 280 schools from Hurricane Harvey, and I want to thank them for their efforts.”
Carranza told The Houston Chronicle that more than 35 campuses have been damaged in the storm; the extent of the damage to facilities was still being determined.
The superintendent has informed principals that at least seven campuses would be re-routing students or would start a bit later.
The district also says it will not enforce policies requiring student uniforms until January 2018.
