Cold Weather Spurs Cancellations At Austin Schools, Colleges

AUSTIN, TX — The winter blast that has brought below-freezing temperatures and the most snow seen in the area in more than 30 years has altered schedules at Austin-area school districts.

School districts information

• Austin ISD is canceling classes in favor of remote education on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, district officials said. Friday will be remote and asynchronos, meaning that students will be allowed to learn at their own pace without live classes. Students will not be reporting to their respective campuses. While Austin school WiFi buses will not be available, students lacking internet access will be contacted by telephone to arrange for alternative lesson plans. School district official revealed plans to apply for a waiver from the Texas Education Agency to avoid needing bad weather makeup days. "We will communicate with families at a later date about TEA’s decision or any potential changes to the calendar," officials wrote.
• IDEA schools will conduct virtual classes on Tuesday. School officials said updates on plans for the remainder of the week would be shared with families via text or social media pages.
• The Lake Travis school district has canceled all classes through Wednesday, both in-person and remote. Also canceled are all activities and events. School officials have not revealed plans for Thursday or Friday.
• Pflugerville ISD schools will go 100 percent remote on Tuesday as officials monitor weather conditions before announcing future plans.

UT-Austin campus closed

The University of Texas at Austin will remain closed at least until 8 a.m. Thursday, officials announced. All classes and events are canceled including virtual/online classes and events through the same time period, officials added.

Austin Community College closed all week

Austin Community College will remain closed for the remainder of the week, officials saidin an advisory. All in-person and online/remote classes and work are canceled, officials added.

"Icy roads and widespread power outages have impacted the college’s ability to teach, learn, and work effectively in-person and remotely," district officials said in a prepared statement. "All classes and work — including in-person and remote/online — are canceled out of an abundance of caution and with our students’ and employees’ best interests in mind."

Officials added they remain in regular contact with the Austin-area Homeland Security and Emergency Management team, and will continue to monitor developments and make changes as needed. Updates will be shared via email and posted to the college’s homepage and on Facebook and Twitter.

All classes canceled at St. Edward's University

All on-campus, virtual and remote work classes/events/activities are canceled through 8 am. on Wednesday. Essential on-campus personnel will still report to campus. There will be limited food service available for residents. Members of the St. Edward's University community are asked to check their emails for updates. More information here.

Huston-Tillotson University

The website for Huston-Tillotson University was down Monday, and plans were unclear. However, the university has been delivering on-line education only since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.