Eagle Pass Independent School District Instruction Cancelled Entire Week of February 15-19 by Winter Storm
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
With over 90 percent of students enrolled in remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Eagle Pass Independent School District was surprised by the Artic Winter Storm’s effect upon remote and in-person instruction of its over 14,000 students during February 15-19, 2021, forcing Superintendent Samuel Mijares to cancel all remote and in-person instruction for the entire week of February 15-19 as a result of the frigid temperatures, the loss of electricity at schools and at students and staff homes, and low water pressure in the community.
Initially, the Winter Storm spewed freezing temperatures and snow in the community on Sunday, February 14, 2021, requiring that all instruction on Monday, February 15, be cancelled until Tuesday, February 16.
But the bitter Winter Storm caused havoc on the community, students, and staff as the electricity power went offline, leaving homes and schools without any electricity to warm and heat the buildings for students and staff to continue instruction in sub-freezing temperatures.
Consequently, Superintendent Mijares cancelled the instruction scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, and rescheduled it for Wednesday, February 17, but the situation worsened in the community as the local water system pressure dropped due to high demand and the lack of electricity power caused many local businesses to close down and disrupt essential services within the community.
Superintendent Mijares finally made the decision on Wednesday, February 17, to cancel all school instruction until Monday, February 22, 2021 as the winter storm battered all Maverick County residents with sub-freezing frigid temperatures and lack of essential services such as electricity and water.
Superintendent Mijares did allow the District’s Food Services to distribute student meals on Thursday, February 18, at 5 p.m. at the Old Eagle Pass Junior High parking lot on Del Rio Blvd.
A second Artic cold front hit Eagle Pass and Maverick County on Thursday, February 18, with frigid sleet, snow, and freezing temperatures that prolonged the misery of the residents just as some homes were starting to have their electricity power and water services reinstated by state and local utilities.
Temperatures are supposed to warm up starting on Friday, February 19, through Sunday, February 21, bringing optimism among Maverick County residents that the Eagle Pass Independent School District instruction returns to normal.
