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Houston Schools Reopen After Freeze as HVAC Failures Hit Multiple HISD Campuses

Heating problems at several schools underscored persistent infrastructure strains during a week with more overnight freezes forecast.

Jon Alvarez zips up his son, Luka Martinez-Alvarez, on a cold day in 2025 before they make their way to his elementary school gym for a dance party. Students should dress warmly Tuesday as they return to classes, school officials advised Monday.  
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Students check out the variety of pockets in their new jackets during the Jacket Jamboree event put on by the Assistance League of San Antonio’s Operation School Bell program at John J. Pershing Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Every student at Pershing received a winter jacket during the giveaway. 
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Overview

  • Most Houston-area K–12 districts and several colleges resumed in-person operations Tuesday after widespread Monday closures.
  • Multiple Houston ISD campuses, including T.H. Rogers, Wheatley, Waltrip, Eliot Elementary, and Hamilton and Henry middle schools, reported heating or HVAC issues that left some classrooms cold.
  • HISD said facilities teams began 4:30 a.m. building checks and responded on site throughout the day, relocating classes to warmer areas and notifying families as repairs progressed.
  • Forecasts call for a gradual daytime warmup but continued hard or near-freezing overnight lows this week, keeping transportation and facility plans under review.
  • Regional recovery varied, with San Antonio districts returning Tuesday while many North Texas systems, including Dallas ISD and Fort Worth ISD, remained closed on Wednesday.