Will Dallas cancel school this week because of snow? – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

As cold temperatures linger and the chance of snow increases through Thursday, parents and students in North Texas are wondering if classes will be canceled.

Area school districts, including Dallas ISD, said they are still in the assessment and planning phase and a regular schedule should be assumed for now. David Bates, chief operating officer for Dallas ISD, said this week’s bitter cold has led to earlier start times for employees.

See the latest school closures here.

“Like 5 o’clock or 5:30, we send people to the problems,” Bates said.

While students barely returned to class Tuesday morning, winterization preparations began across all Dallas ISD schools and buildings as early as Sunday.

“So we’re lucky enough to have started yesterday before the kids came back, we had our teachers and all of our essential staff to really prepare like you would in your home. You know, cover the snake beds, watch everyone the faucets and things like that,” Bates said. “We went and shut off some water sources on the outside of the buildings… And then we even had our transportation department come in and start the buses yesterday, run around and make sure , that the heat worked.”

Crews have also been focused on preventive boiler maintenance.

“We monitor, centrally, all of our HVAC systems,” Bates said. “We’ve modernized since the 2015 binding and with the 2020 binding we’ve really been able to look and see something if it drops.”

However, the decision on whether to cancel schools due to the snow expected Thursday afternoon will largely be based on conversations with federal authorities.

“We have communications with the National Weather Service,” Bates said.

Usually calls are as early as 3 or 5, Bates said.

“We’re in a conversation with them and we’re taking that information with our Office of Emergency Management, our police department,” Bates said.

Dallas ISD and surrounding districts have scheduled a final call with the NWS on Wednesday at 6 p.m. 1 p.m

“We will make the decision early to give our parents and our community time to respond,” Bates said.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, City of Dallas officials said they are ready to help the school district.

“If there’s a need for resources that we can provide or vice versa, we communicate often,” said Kevin Oden, director of emergency management and emergency preparedness for Dallas.

Over the years, Bates said, their relationship with city resources has strengthened.

“Our office of emergency management and our police department do a really good job of communicating with them,” Bates said. “We’ve coordinated a lot more with the fire service, haven’t we, because we’ve seen a lot of broken pipes in the past. And they have been very helpful in that coordination and in saving our buildings.”

And while some are hopeful, snow will accumulate; there is a chance that classes will continue as planned.

“It would be like today. Today was cold. We just want to make sure our families send their kids prepared,” Bates said. “To have the right clothes, you have to have jackets, if they get on the bus or they just get dropped off, make sure they’re packed.”

Bates assured that his team and other emergency departments would continue to work to ensure the safety and warmth of their students, teachers and staff.

“I’m really proud of the staff we have here,” Bates said. “We’ve been through it since 2019: a tornado, you know, ice armageddon, and then every year now we’ve seemed to have storms like this. And our guys don’t blink.”

According to Bates, Dallas ISD expects to make a final decision on school closures or delays Wednesday afternoon.

COLD WEATHER PREPARATION

Winterizing your home
Before the cold, you must replace worn fittings on doors and windows to ensure a good seal. This will ensure that warm air stays in and cold air stays outside. Most modern windows are sealed inside the frame, but older windows may be sealed with a glaze that may crack and need to be replaced. The glaze may need to be applied above a certain temperature and it needs time to harden – this maintenance is ideally done in spring or autumn. Finally, check your gutters to make sure they are clear and allow water to flow freely to the downspout. Clogged gutters can lead to water entering the home. The Texas Department of Insurance also recommends trimming trees away from power lines, homes and cars and checking insulation levels in attics.

Protection of your pipes
Most North Texans know to insulate their outdoor faucets, but if the cold is lingering, it might be a good idea to also let interior faucets on exterior walls drip overnight so they don’t freeze. Drip, drip, drip from running faucets, if heard, can be annoying, so place a sponge or towel in the sink to silently catch every drop. If you leave town for a few days, The Texas Department of Insurance recommends leaving cabinet doors open so pipes on outer walls are more exposed to heat. If you have pipes in an attic or crawl space or other exposed pipes outside, they must also have insulation. For outside faucets, disconnect hoses and isolate valves. Wrapping valves with towels is not the best long-term solution. Most, if not all, North Texas hardware stores sell inexpensive exterior faucet covers made of foam that easily attach to the faucet in seconds and do a great job of protecting the pipe from freezing. If you suspect a pipe has frozen, keep the faucet open so the water can flow when it melts. Also, make sure you know where your main water valve is located (and how to turn it off) in case a pipe bursts.

Bring your pets
Even if you have a pet or animal that normally lives or sleeps outdoors, they can be susceptible to cold, hypothermia and pneumonia. The SPCA of Texas says if it’s cold outside, chances are your pet is cold too. Bring pets inside and ensure other outdoor animals have adequate shelter, dry and well insulated, to protect them from cold temperatures and possible death.

Protection of your plants
Perennial potted plants should be brought indoors. Plants that cannot be brought in must be covered. Delicate plants can be covered with sheets, blankets or landscape frost blankets, which can trap the heat. In times of extreme cold, several frost blankets can be used. For plants left outside a day or two before a freeze hits, the Dallas Arboretum recommends watering the soil by hand only, keeping the foliage dry to insulate the plant’s roots. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has more here how to protect plants from frost and frost. AgriLife also has tips regarding how to plant for winter.

Dallas Arboretum

Turn off your sprinkler system
You want to turn off your irrigation system for several reasons. One is that you don’t want it running on its normal schedule, potentially dumping water on streets where it could freeze and be dangerous to passing cars. Second, you don’t want to risk broken pipes or valves that can come with a system that hasn’t been winterized. To winterize your system, the city of Fort Worth recommends that timers and backflow devices both turn off even if you have freeze or rain sensors installed and that the main is drained. Any pipes that are above ground should also be insulated.

Plumbing
Many air filters should be changed or cleaned every three months or every season. But that’s not the only winterization your HVAC system needs. You should regularly check your duct system for holes (whether due to vibration or rodents) to ensure that air flow is uninterrupted. If part of your HVAC is in the attic, it can also be home to rats, mice and squirrels, who find the unit’s heat an ideal place to build a nest.

Swimming pools
Even if you have a freeze protector among your pool equipment, you’ll want to look at the pump daily to make sure it’s moving water through your pipes. These pipes can also burst if they freeze.

Batteries
Having fresh batteries for flashlights during a power outage is always a good idea. If you haven’t replaced the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this summer – now is a good time to change. It’s also a good idea to make sure your phone is charged so you have access to timely information in the event of a power outage. It’s also a good idea to have a backup battery or power source to recharge your phone.