HOUSTON—More than 55 public school and charter districts in Texas remained closed on September 8, officials said, and tens of thousands of the state’s students must be relocated to unfamiliar schools this year after Hurricane Harvey damaged their homes or classrooms.
In some districts, officials still have not said when schedules can resume. An as-yet undetermined number of schools will remain too damaged to use for much of the year, adding more uncertainty to families recovering from Harvey’s aftermath.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) said nearly 10 of the 55 districts that are closed will remain so until further notice. In Houston, the seventh largest U.S. school district, the first day of school was set for Monday, though many schools will remain shut due to flooding damage.
Some Houston school buildings will not reopen this year. Students from nine schools that suffered the worst damage will start classes after being relocated to temporary campuses, officials said.
“We’ve already started identifying other campuses close to these schools to relocate and co-locate,” said Houston independent superintendent Richard Carranza.
Earlier this week, he said many as 20,000 students could be affected through 20 campuses.
