Facilities Update

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Our wonderful facilities, maintenance and operations teams worked hard last week to help prepare our campuses for the arrival of Hurricane Harvey. This week, those same dedicated employees are busy assessing the damage caused by the heavy rain and flood water we received.

Due to their forethought and ongoing assessment, we are confident that very few of our facilities sustained major damage and will be able to be fully restored by the time that schools reopen.

One of our campuses, Moore Elementary School, was not so fortunate. Our team assessed the campus and determined that it will require a significant renovation project this fall. After meeting with my leadership team, I made the decision to relocate Moore to the old Matzke Elementary School building (13102 Jones Road) for at least the fall semester until renovations are complete. Although it is never easy to leave your home campus, we feel like this is the most viable option for the Moore community given these difficult circumstances. More information will be made available to Moore families and staff members in the coming days.

Now for the big question: when will school start? We are giving our crews another day to completely assess the damage and form repair timelines. I will meet with my leadership team again tomorrow, and plan to announce a decision about the first day of school by tomorrow, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m.

I continue to keep all of you who were affected by the floods in my thoughts and prayers, and want you to know we are here to provide support and assistance. Many of you have inquired about how to help, and here are a few ideas to get started:

• Donate supplies.  We are accepting donations today through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Berry Center (8877 Barker Cypress Road). See http://www.cfisd.net/cfisdhelps
• Donate financially. We have set up a link to accept credit card donations. All money received is tax-deductible and will be applied directly to the relief efforts for our students and staff that have been affected. See http://www.berrycenter.net/ce. 
• Volunteer. There are many community groups needing help with the cleanup of houses. See http://www.cfisd.net/relief for a list of those who have notified us of where help is needed. This is a great activity for student groups to assist with as well.

Thank you to everyone for pulling together during this difficult time!

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

Flood Update

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The flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey has brought dark days—both literally and figuratively—to the Greater Houston community. But, just as the sun came out yesterday, brighter days are ahead for us. 

The major flooding throughout our district and beyond has made it a stressful week as many have lost their homes, vehicles and lives—including one dedicated HPD officer. Simultaneously, I was encouraged (but not surprised) by the outpouring of support from our community, as many faith-based organizations opened up shelters and donation centers. I visited the Berry Center temporary shelter yesterday and was touched by the thousands of donated supplies, plentiful food and dedicated community volunteers available to hundreds of displaced residents. 

We will keep you up to date with the latest shelter news and needs on our @CyFairISD social media accounts and the district website, where we have a page set up with local efforts: www.cfisd.net/cfisdhelps. Please continue to support those in need if you are able. 

While we do know water has breached some of our buildings, we will not be able to fully assess facility damage until water levels subside. To that end, we do not yet know when school will officially begin. We have slated Sept. 5 as our tentative start date, but we must take student and staff safety and a recovery timeline into account. We will keep you updated with new information as we have it so you have plenty of notice for the first day of school.

This has been my fourth major weather event as a superintendent on the Gulf Coast. It does not get any easier, but it does bring out the best in a wonderful community like Cy-Fair. Thank you for your kindness, charity and concern throughout the week. I am proud to be a part of CFISD. 

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.