Austin-Area Weather Prompts School Cancellations, Delays (Update)

AUSTIN, TX — Austin ISD officials late Thursday announced all schools and district offices will be closed on Friday as a result of the inclement winter weather and the possibility of icy roads.

The district's decision came on the heels of a National Weather Service prediction of freezing temperatures through 9 a.m. Friday morning. Texas Department of Transportation officials also have issued warnings of "black ice" on the roads, icy patches all but invisible to the naked eye that could spell trouble for drivers.

Other area school districts have either canceled or delayed classes on Friday as well (list below). City offices will open Friday morning on a two-hour delay, officials said.

TxDot officials Thursday evening urged motorists to take extra precaution when driving on bridges and overpasses given the likelihood of ice on city roads. Snow flurries descended upon Central Texas and beyond on Thursday evening ahead of temperatures hovering at the freezing point late Thursday night.

The conditions are expected to make road travel treacherous by Friday morning, with a winter travel advisory issued late Thursday.

Related story: Austin Snow Flurries Usher In Potentially Treacherous Road Travel

That combination of factors convinced Austin ISD officials to cancel all classes outright: "To ensure the safety of all our students and staff, all Austin ISD classes are canceled tomorrow, Dec. 8," officials wrote on the district website. "All district offices are also closed."

Given the likely black ice scenario, district officials said they opted for a full cancellation rather than implement a two-hour delay as is sometimes done. Such a delay "...would not be enough time to safely transport our students tomorrow morning," district officials wrote.

District officials said they would continue to monitor the weather via National Weather Service updates. For the most up-to-date information, officials direct parents to visit the district's website or social media platforms. Parents are also encouraged to follow local news and public safety organizations' social media for further weather updates.

In related news, the City of Austin implemented a two-hour delay for municipal workers. All city offices are scheduled to open at 10 a.m. on Friday, officials said. The delay also includes municipal courts and the downtown Austin community court, officials said.

Early Friday morning, Travis County announced a two-hour delay to the start of operations at its various sites. Due to inclement weather, all Travis County offices and facilities — including county courts — will open at 10 a.m., officials said in a news advisory: "The public should avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary," the advisory reads. "Travis County will continue to monitor conditions and will provide updates as they become available."

For the most up-to-date information on Travis County operations, officials urged the public to monitor them via their social media platforms on Twitter using the handle @TravisCountyES or via Facebook (facebook.com/TravisCoEmergencyServices). County officials said they would utilize the hashtags #atxwx and #txwx in most of their social media posts. Additionally, updates will be posted on the County’s website at www.traviscountytx.gov and www.traviscountytx.gov/emergency-services.

Austin Community College officials also delayed the start of classes by two hours on Friday after having canceled all classes and events Thursday night. The delay is intended to allow students and staff more time in getting to their destination without the need to hurry as they might normally do.

Following is a list of other cancellations and delays at area school districts and campuses on Thursday:

• Bastrop ISD: All classes canceled Friday.
• Comal ISD: All campuses will operate on a two-hour delay Friday. Start times tomorrow will be 9:40 a.m. for elementary schools, 10:45 a.m. for secondary campuses. Buses will pick up students at their scheduled stops two hours later than usual.
• Coupland ISD: Two-hour delay Friday.
• Del Valle ISD and Offices: All schools and offices closed Friday.
• Dime Box ISD: Two-hour delay to 10 a.m., with buses running two hours later than normal.
• Eanes ISD: All schools closed Friday.
• Elgin ISD: All schools closed Friday.
• Fayetteville ISD: Two-hour delay Friday.
• Giddings ISD: Two-hour delay at all schools Friday.
• Harmony Public Schools: All schools closed Friday.
• Hays CISD: All schools closed Friday.
• Huston Tillotson University: Classes on two-hour delay Friday, starting at 10 a.m.
• KIPP Austin Public Schools: All schools and classes canceled Friday.
• La Grange ISD: Two-hour delay Friday.
• Lexington ISD: Classes delayed to 10 a.m., with buses running two hours later than usual.
• Lockhart ISD: All schools closed Friday.
• Luling ISD: Classes delayed until 10 a.m., with buses running two hours later than usual.
• Manor ISD: All schools closed Friday.
• New Braunfels ISD: Classes on two-hour delay, but employees asked to arrive at regular time or as soon as they are able to arrive.
• Pflugerville ISD: Two-hour delay Friday. Elementary classes to start at 9:40 a.m., with middle school classes starting at 10:05 a.m. and high school classes starting at 11 a.m. Buses will operate their regular bus routes but on a two-hour delay. School day for all campuses to end at the normal time.
• Prairie ISD: All schools closed Friday.
• San Marcos CISD: All San Marcos CISD campuses on a two-hour delay Friday. Correspondingly, bus schedules will run on a two-hour delay.
• Seminary of the Southwest: Two-hour delay Friday.
• Smithville ISD: Two-hour delay Friday.
• St. Edwards University: Two-hour delay, with classes and business hours starting at 10 a.m. Chariot shuttles to start at 9 a.m.
• Texas School for the Deaf: Classes cancelled Friday.
• University of Texas at Austin: School opens at 10 a.m. Friday.
• Wayside Schools: All campuses closed Friday.
• Wimberly ISD: Two-hour delay until 10 a.m. Friday.
• YMCA: TownLake YMCA, Southwest Family YMCA, North Austin YMCA, Northwest Family YMCA, East Communities YMCA open at 8 a.m. on Friday. The Springs Family YMCA and Hays Communities YMCA will open at 9 a.m.
• YWCA: Closed Friday, with normal hours of operation to resume on Saturday.

Among area school districts, Round Rock ISD notably did immediately issue a weather-related cancellation or delay notice on Thursday. Instead, officials there said they would continue to monitor the weather and decide by 5:30 a.m. whether classes would be either delayed or cancelled. Other area school districts making the same call included Dripping Springs ISD, Georgetown ISD, Lake Travis ISD and Leander ISD.

>>> Photo by Tony Cantú