KILLEEN, TX — Killeen ISD is extending their closure through Wednesday as a result of not having access to water needed for drinking, restrooms, cooking, and district-wide fire suppression systems.
All campuses will be closed for students Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. In-person and remote learners will not be required to engage during this time.
The district said they are assessing their ability to reopen campuses to students at the earliest on Thursday, February 25, 2021 if water supply allows.
"We are focusing all efforts on supporting our community, repairing extensive damage to facilities and preparing for reopening once adequate water supplies are re-established," the statement said. "The reality of the situation is we do not have enough bottled water to support 30,000+ students and employees coming to campuses every day. We need the community to help us conserve water, identify and repair leaks and busted pipes, so we can build up the reserve necessary to support our community."
Killeen ISD said all employees will continue to be paid during the closure, and if contacted by their supervisor the expectation is for the employee to report to work as scheduled.
The district will try to provide as much advanced notices as possible but during these uncertain times, they may be called to sites on extremely short notice.
"We will be communicating with employees as our facilities are ready for re-entry," the district said. "We have made tremendous progress on these efforts over the weekend."
Since the initial weather closure on February 11, Killeen ISD said they have monitored campus power, network, and water outages.
The first physical damage assessment team has been to all of the campuses to identify initial damage to include busted pipes, standing water, downed power lines and trees, network infrastructure and water damage.
"We have compiled the necessary information to determine the repairs and restoration needed, however as water is restored more issues may arise. The next survey team, Principals, Assistant Principals, Technology, and School Nutrition were allowed into campuses this morning to begin a room-by-room inspection."
A detailed report of all facility findings will be available later this afternoon on the KISD website.
KISD is also preparing 500 pre-packaged meals at different campuses for the KISD community beginning Monday and for the duration of the closure.
Meals will be available for pickup between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and will be free to all. The meals will need to be heated before they are eaten.
Locations:
Cavazos Elementary School
Cedar Valley Elementary School
Early College High School (Fort Hood)
Harker Heights Elementary School
Manor Middle School
Mountain View Elementary School
Palo Alto Middle School
Rancier Middle School
Smith Middle School
Trimmier Elementary School
West Ward Elementary School
"We remain focused on the recovery of the entire community and we will work around the clock to reopen campuses, so that as water is restored, we can safely open our doors," Killeen ISD said.
