Winter weather event update #5

Districtwide repairs have continued around the clock since I wrote to you yesterday. We have made significant progress to restore facilities in time for students to return to school on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

The City of Houston lifted its boil-water notice yesterday along with many of the municipal utility districts (MUDs) that serve our community. Although some campuses remain in boil-water notice zones, all schools will have potable water available for students and staff. We have made additional arrangements for the campuses still impacted by boil-water notices to have boxed lunches and bottled water available for students. In addition, hand sanitizing stations are located throughout each school and in every classroom.

Campuses are looking forward to welcoming students back tomorrow, either in-person or through CFISD Connect remote instruction. Although the winter weather caused a lot of disruptions in our community, we are glad to be able to safely reopen our schools tomorrow.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

Winter weather event update #4

Español

The last week has certainly been a whirlwind, but I have been encouraged by the progress that has already been made to resume the 2020-2021 school year.

Our facilities, maintenance and operations teams have continued to work around the clock to assess, clean and disinfect, and make repairs to district facilities in order to prepare them for students this week. Their efforts will continue throughout the weekend to ensure buildings are accessible and safe for staff and students. There has been some positive momentum with local boil-water notices, as more municipal utility districts (MUDs) are lifting the notices that impact many CFISD campuses. While some notices are still in place, we plan to know more information by Monday afternoon and will provide an update at that time.

We look forward to welcoming employees back for the staff work day on Monday, Feb. 22 and students back to school on Tuesday, Feb. 23. It has taken a lot of teamwork and manpower to get CFISD up and running, and I am thankful for an outstanding workforce and community that has made it possible.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

Winter weather event update #3

Español

I wanted to provide you another update with additional information that we have learned since my letter to you yesterday. Although we are all eager to welcome our students back to school, there are a number of concerns we are still addressing across the district.

While power has become much more reliable in the last day, potable water continues to be an issue. Mayor Turner announced late yesterday that the City of Houston could be on a boil-water notice until possibly Monday. In addition, a large number of our campuses are located in municipal utility districts (MUDs) that have boil-water notices. We suffered total food loss at many of our schools. As I shared with you yesterday, several of our campuses sustained major water damage. In addition, one-fifth of our portable buildings were negatively impacted. Our maintenance and operations teams continue to work diligently to address the issues and make repairs. Damage to Swenke Elementary School was extensive, and a separate communication will be shared later today regarding plans for our Swenke students and staff.

After much discussion, we have decided that Monday, Feb. 22 will be a staff work day (no student instruction either on-campus or remote). On-campus instruction and CFISD Connect remote learning will resume on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Extracurricular activities resumed today and will continue next week as previously scheduled.

Not only will Monday provide us with an extra day for water quality to improve across the district, but it will also allow more time for our nutrition services team to restock food that was lost, maintenance and operations teams another day to repair damaged facilities, and teachers time to get into their classrooms and assess any damage they may have incurred to their instructional materials or classroom technology before students return.

Thank you for your continued support during this trying time, as I know many of you are dealing with your own challenges this week regarding water damage. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation throughout the district, and I will provide you with another update tomorrow.

 ~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.

COVID-19 UPDATE (03/13/20)

March 13, 2020

Dear CFISD community,

COVID-19 continues to be an unprecedented and very fluid event for our country as evidenced by President Trump’s declaration of a National Emergency and Governor Abbott’s declaration of a State of Disaster for all Texas counties. I attended a meeting earlier today with Harris County Public Health, Harris County Judge Hidalgo, and the Office of Emergency Management and have been in communication with the Commissioner of Education and government health officials. This afternoon I met with our district administrative team, and we are all committed to providing resources for our students and staff during the CFISD closure period. 

·       Curbside Meals:

o   Beginning Monday, March 16

§  Breakfast will be available from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

§  Lunch will be available from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

§  Dinner will be available from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

§  Children 18 years and younger (must be present) may pick up meals at any CFISD school listed; this is not dependent on where the student is enrolled.

§  Schools available for curbside meals: Arnold MS, Bane ES, Cy Creek HS, Cy Lakes HS, Cy Park HS, Cy Ridge HS, Cy Springs HS, Danish ES, Francone ES, Frazier ES, Holbrook ES, Horne ES, Kirk ES, Langham Creek HS, Thornton MS

o   Beginning Tuesday, March 17

§  Goodson MS will be added to the original list of schools. 

·       Payroll:

o   Staff will be receiving a separate email today regarding pay.

·       Medication:

o   If you have questions about accessing your child’s medication from school, please contact CFPD at 832-237-CFPD.

·       UIL Contests (see https://www.uiltexas.org/):

o   All UIL events have been suspended thru March 29. 

o   The UIL anticipates completing the competitive season for academics, athletics and fine arts later this spring.

·       Superintendent’s Fun Run & Festival:

o   The event is cancelled, and t-shirts will be distributed at a later date. This is one of my favorite events every year because of you. Let’s celebrate the scholarships that will still be awarded because of donations, registrations and business sponsorships. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.

·       Extended Learning Resources:

o   Extended learning resources will be available next week for students on the district website.

·       Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

o   Beginning Monday, March 16

§  An FAQ will be posted on the district website (www.cfisd.net) and updated as we receive additional information on the COVID-19 situation and its impact to our CFISD families.

The district website will continue to be updated with information for staff and students, and I will provide regular communication with you through email. 

Please stay safe,

Mark Henry, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Monitoring COVID-19

As you are aware, the situation regarding COVID-19 continues to be very fluid for the Greater Houston area. I want to assure you that despite our schools being closed for spring break, the CFISD administrative team is participating in daily calls with local, state and federal officials and is actively monitoring the situation.

I am attending a meeting on Friday morning with neighboring superintendents and local officials and will have an update for you later that afternoon.

It takes all of us working together to ensure healthy learning environments.

~ Mark Henry, Ed.D.