Live updates: North Texas freezes Saturday as sleet, ice begin to coat DFW roads, highways.
Dallas ISD and several North Texas school districts announced closures for Monday as a winter storm began impacting Dallas and the region braced for bitterly cold weather into next week.
Area schools, colleges and universities held classes Friday, but they canceled or rescheduled Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday activities. With the latest forecasts calling for up to half an inch of ice, districts are looking ahead to Monday classes.
Dallas ISD will close schools Monday, it announced Saturday morning. North Texas districts followed suit with plans to do the same, while others had already announced plans by Friday evening.
Here’s what we know so far.
Dallas ISD
Dallas ISD will close schools Monday due to inclement weather. Students will be required to make up the school day. The district will provide details about the make-up day at a later time.
The district did not give an update on its plans for Tuesday.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde decides whether to close schools in light of inclement weather, according to district policy. The decision is communicated to parents and staff through local news outlets, automated phone calls and the district website.
To inform the decision, school personnel drive through the streets near neighborhood schools and observe road conditions. They consult with the weather service, police and gas and utility companies, and their findings are communicated to the superintendent, who makes the final call.
Arlington ISD
Arlington ISD will close schools and canceled after-school activities Monday.
Activities scheduled for the weekend have been canceled or rescheduled, according to a social media post.
Superintendent Matt Smith considers road conditions, high school drivers, building and parking lot conditions and weather forecasts. He decides whether schools ultimately close.
Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
Aubrey ISD
The Denton County school district will not hold class Monday, nor will it host its after-school activities.
Birdville ISD
The district will be closed Monday. District leaders said they expected classes to resume Tuesday. Check the district’s website for updates.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD will not have school Monday. A number of events scheduled to run between Friday afternoon and Sunday evening were canceled or rescheduled. Check the district website for details about individual events.
Coppell ISD
Coppell ISD will close all schools and administration buildings on Monday. Decisions about Tuesday will be announced at a later time.
Corsicana ISD
Schools will be closed Monday. Check the district’s Facebook page for updates.
Denton ISD
The district will close schools Monday. It canceled canceled all after-school activities Friday and weekend activities.
DeSoto ISD
DeSoto ISD will close schools and offices Monday due to the weather. All after-school activities are canceled.
Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
Duncanville ISD
Duncanville ISD schools and offices will be closed Monday, and classes and after-school activities are canceled.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD
The Tarrant County district will be closed Monday. The district said in a social media post it’ll make a decision on Tuesday classes by 5 p.m. Monday.
Ferris ISD
The Ellis County district is closed through Monday and all activities are canceled.
Fort Worth ISD
Fort Worth ISD will close schools Monday “to prioritize the safety of students, staff, and families, particularly during morning commute hours,” it said in an email.
All athletic and after-school programs scheduled Monday are canceled or will be rescheduled. Check the district’s Facebook page for updates.
Garland ISD
Garland ISD schools will be closed Monday. All after-school activities are also cancelled.
Grand Prairie ISD
Grand Prairie ISD will close campuses Monday due to inclement weather. The district said it will continue monitoring the weather to determine Tuesday’s plan.
Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Classes and activities are canceled for Monday. The cancellation doesn’t affect iUniversity Prep, the district’s virtual academy. Check the district’s website for updates.
Irving ISD
Irving ISD canceled class for Monday. District officials will continue to monitor weather forecasts and canceled all districtwide activities scheduled for the weekend. Check the district website for updates.
Keller ISD
All classes, activities and events are canceled Monday. Check the district’s Facebook page for updates.
Lancaster ISD
Lancaster ISD will close its district offices and campuses Monday. Sporting events and after-school activities are also canceled.
Mabank ISD
Mabank ISD will be closed Monday. The district said it will decide no later than noon Monday about school on Tuesday.
Melissa ISD
The Collin County district announced Friday that it will be closed Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
“We will continue to closely monitor conditions and share any additional school closures or delays via text, email, social media,” district said in a social media post. More district weather information is available at melissaisd.org/weather.
Mesquite ISD
Mesquite will close schools and offices on Monday due to weather and unsafe road conditions. After-school activities and events scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been canceled.
Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
Northwest ISD
The district is closing all of its schools and facilities on Monday. The district said in a social media post it will make a decision about Tuesday classes by 5 p.m. Monday.
Plano ISD
Plano ISD schools and facilities will be closed on Monday, a spokesperson said. A decision about Tuesday class will be made after the district evaluates conditions over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Red Oak ISD
Schools will be closed Monday. All activities are canceled through the weekend and Monday night. Check the district’s Facebook page for updates.
Richardson ISD
Richardson ISD will close schools and offices Monday. Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
Rockwall ISD
All district campuses and offices will be closed on Monday. The closure includes before and after-school activities.
Southlake Carroll ISD
Schools will be closed Monday. A Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Monday evening has been rescheduled for Feb. 2. District leaders will make an announcement regarding Tuesday classes on Monday. Check the district’s Facebook page for updates.
Waxahachie ISD
Waxahachie ISD in Ellis County will be closed Monday.
Weatherford ISD
Weatherford schools and offices will be closed Monday. All after-school activities scheduled for Monday are canceled.
Texas Christian University
TCU said that campus would be closed Monday and canceled all classes and activities. Essential student services, including dining and residence halls, will stay open. Information can be found here.
Southern Methodist University
Campus activities are canceled beginning 8 p.m. Friday through the weekend. Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Florida State is still set to be played as scheduled. Tip-off was at 3 p.m. University officials will make an announcement regarding Monday’s classes by 4 p.m. Sunday.
Information about inclement weather procedures can be found here.
University of North Texas
UNT closed at 9 p.m. Friday and remain closed until 6 a.m. Monday. Campus dining will remain open on modified hours and locations. Employees who are scheduled to work during the closure are being asked to work from home.
University of Texas at Dallas
Campus will be closed from 5 p.m. Friday through Monday. Check the university website for updates.
Dallas College
All Dallas College locations will be closed Monday due to winter weather. Information about severe weather can be found here.
Tarrant County College
All campuses will close at 5 p.m. Friday and remain closed through Monday. In-person classes and student services will be remote. College officials will make a decision regarding Tuesday’s classes on Monday.
Education Lab editor Carol Taylor contributed to this report.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
By Jessica Ma
Jessica Ma covers education at The Dallas Morning News. She previously had reporting stints at The Boston Globe, The Chicago Sun-Times and The Sacramento Bee. She is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism, American studies and political science.
Milla Surjadi covers higher education for the Education Lab at The Dallas Morning News. She has previously reported for The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Tampa Bay Times. She is a recent graduate of Duke University.
By Silas Allen
Silas is the K-12 reporter for The Dallas Morning News’ Education Lab. He previously covered Tarrant County schools for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and worked as news editor at the Dallas Observer. Before coming to Texas, he worked as a reporter and editor at The Oklahoman. He is a Missouri native and a graduate of the University of Missouri.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
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