Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,

The snow and ice finally began to melt today. However, the challenging task of assessing the impact of the winter storm on our school buildings and operations is now upon us.

On Thursday afternoon, our District’s maintenance and custodial crews began entering school buildings, assessing conditions, repairing minor damage and gathering debris caused by our inclement weather. Our technology team has also identified and addressed issues affecting critical infrastructure throughout the District. Although each of our schools has electricity, West Cypress Hills Elementary remains without water. We are in contact with representatives from Cypress Ranch Water Control and Improvement District #1 regarding service restoration and the availability of potable water at WCHE. To the extent possible, our crews will continue assessing and addressing issues in our school buildings throughout the weekend.

However, the most significant issue we are currently facing is the impact on our staff and families. Many of our teachers, bus drivers and other personnel continue to deal with utility outages and other serious challenges at home, most of whom remain without water. Additionally, mechanical and support operations across our District have not been in service since our schools closed on Thursday, February 11, for staff development. This includes HVAC units as well as food and transportation services. We do not fully know the full impact of the frigid weather on our infrastructure. Therefore, out of the utmost concern for our staff and families and given the uncertainty of our operating systems districtwide, all classes for Monday, February 22, are cancelled. This includes both in-person and remote learning for all students.

Additionally, all schools and District offices will remain closed to the public through Monday. Please check individual campus websites and monitor email and/or social media postings for additional announcements from school principals, coaches and program sponsors regarding the status of specific campus events and activities for the week of February 22-26.

Some of our staff will spend Monday testing and resetting our mechanical systems and operations in preparation for the potential re-opening of our schools on Tuesday, February 23. However, if we identify issues that will impact our ability to open a specific school for in-person learning, we will notify the specific school’s teachers, staff, and families as soon as possible to share next steps.

Furthermore, to assist our families in need, our Food and Nutrition Services Department will provide pre-packaged breakfast and lunch meals to go between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm, Monday, February 22, at Bee Cave Middle School, Hudson Bend Middle School, and Lake Travis Middle School. Please note, regular meal prices will apply as indicated on our FANS website. Students do not have to be present but ID badges are required for meal pickup.

Finally, I know many of you have questions or simply have something to share from our recent weather event. I will provide a school district update and time for Q&A via Facebook Live scheduled for 1:00 pm, Saturday, February 20. If you are not able to connect to Facebook at that time, the event will be recorded and will be available for playback on the District’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

I am aware the decision to cancel classes may place additional strain on some of our families. However, as your Superintendent, I will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of our staff, students and families. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we take care of each other during these unprecedented times.

Stay safe and stay warm,

Paul Norton

Superintendent of Schools