First Day of School

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After careful consideration of mobility, facilities and employee availability, the CFISD Board of Trustees has supported our decision to welcome students back to school on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Tuesday, Sept. 5 will serve as the first day back to work for our employees.

We feel that reopening schools next week will allow our students and families to return to as much of a normal life as possible. We understand that this is not possible for some of our families, and CFISD is here to provide support with resources such as our point of distribution (POD) and other community relief efforts.

If your family has been displaced and students are unable to reach their campus of origin, information and frequently asked questions will be posted as soon as they are available on the district website.

We understand that students’ basic necessities should not be a concern during this difficult time. We are pleased that the USDA has waived all free and reduced meal eligibility requirements through Sept. 30 so students can enjoy free breakfast and lunch on our campuses. Parents are encouraged to still complete the free and reduced application so their students’ program enrollment can resume after the Sept. 30 date.

Our food service department is also opening additional feeding centers as an extension of our summer feeding program beginning tomorrow, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sites at Owens (7939 Jackrabbit Road) and Holbrook (6402 Langfield Road) elementary schools and Cypress Lakes High School (5750 Greenhouse Road) will offer free breakfast and lunch for children 18 years and younger. Due to donations from vendors, we can also provide free meals to adults accompanying children.

Hurricane Harvey and its destructive aftermath have presented significant challenges for the CFISD community, but you have already begun to prove that the challenges will not break your spirit. We look forward to reopening our doors to students on Sept. 6.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

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.