Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
Row of school buses. Taken on Dec. 18, 2019.
Houston ISD and other school districts across the area have announced closures on Monday, Jan. 26 in anticipation of a winter storm expected to reach the region late Saturday or early Sunday. The storm is forecasted to bring freezing temperatures as well as precipitation, which would lead to icy road conditions.
“Meteorologists are forecasting a significant risk of an ice storm beginning late Saturday, possibly through Sunday and into Monday morning,” state-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles said in a video on the district’s YouTube page. “This will create hazardous travel conditions for our students, staff and families, combined with dangerously low temperatures. We understand that families need time to plan and prepare in an effort to be proactive and to prioritize the wellbeing of our community. The district leadership team and I have made the decision to close Monday out of an abundance of caution.”
RELATED: Here’s how Houston-area officials are preparing for winter weather threat
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Miles added the district would inform families by Sunday about any potential closures on Tuesday.
In January 2024, Miles said he regretted closing schools for a winter storm and told an advisory committee at the time he should’ve kept the schools open and he “won’t make the same mistake again.”
Conroe ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Humble ISD, Katy ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Tomball ISD and Harmony Public Schools are among the other school systems to announce Friday that their schools will be closed Monday. All Harris County Department of Education facilities also will be closed Monday.
The University of Houston announced Friday afternoon it will also be closed on Sunday and Monday due to the expected hazardous winter weather conditions. The closure extends to the university’s satellite campuses in Katy and Sugar Land.
The closure announcements come after schools across the area already canceled sporting events and other activities planned for this weekend.
KIPP charter schools as of Friday afternoon had not yet decided to close Monday, but a spokesperson said the school system is monitoring the storm. Any decision regarding closures will come no later than 5:30 a.m. Monday and will be communicated directly by the school to families, the spokesperson said.
School leaders across the region are urging parents to check their districts’ websites, social media channels and the communications app ParentSquare for the latest updates on their children’s schools. Houston ISD encouraged families to monitor its YouTube page, HISDNow, as well as HoustonISD.org and the district’s social media pages.
Here is a list of schools and districts that will be closed Monday:
Aldine ISD
Alief ISD
Brazosport ISD
Clear Creek ISD
Crosby ISD
Conroe ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dayton ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Harmony Public Schools
Houston ISD
Humble ISD
Katy ISD
La Porte ISD
Montgomery ISD
Needville ISD
Pearland ISD
Royal ISD
Southwest Public Schools
Spring Branch ISD
The Woodlands Christian Academy
Tomball ISD
Waller ISD
This is a developing story.