Prioritizing the Safety and Well-being of Students and Staff
Needless to say, this was a difficult, crazy week. I want to express my sincere appreciation for your patience, flexibility and understanding as we wrestled with making decisions around closing schools.
The decision to close schools, delay the start of schools or shift to an all-remote format is never easy. There are many factors we examine and discuss in detail, not only as a leadership team but also in conjunction with local officials and neighboring superintendents. But, the driving factor in these decisions is always the safety and well-being of students and staff.
Our decision to close schools entirely this week – with no remote instruction – was due to dangerous road conditions and also the fact that many families and staff members struggled with weather-related issues like power and water outages, pipe bursts, leaks and heating issues. Unfortunately, many are still trying to get their personal lives in order and dealing with the mess this severe weather is leaving behind. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together, and I’m proud of how our community has supported one another throughout this challenging week.
During this terrible weather event it was a source of pride to make Madeley Ranch ES available for sheltering impacted community members. In fact, Madeley Ranch ES served as the community’s primary warming center providing a number of families with a warm and safe place to stay as they faced power and water outages. It was a great example of the City of Montgomery and MISD working together to assist our community. A special thank you goes out to the Madeley Ranch ES staff, MISD PD and our maintenance team for making this possible.
Our district maintenance team has been working hard to ensure all schools are ready to safely accommodate in-person instruction on Monday. Please exercise caution when entering buildings on Monday, as there may still be some ice near doors and in the parking lots. Also, please join me in thanking our maintenance team for their hard work this week to ensure our campuses are prepared for students and staff next week.
Again, I want to thank you all for your patience and flexibility this week. As I have mentioned before, we will always work diligently to provide weather-related school closure information as quickly as possible. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is always my top priority.
Enjoy a safe and restful weekend.
With Gratitude,
Dr. Heath Morrison
Montgomery ISD Superintendent
February Board Meeting Now Tues., Feb. 23
Due to inclement weather this week, the February Board of Trustees regular meeting has been rescheduled to 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the MISD Education Support Center.
As a recap of what I shared last week, during this meeting, trustees will give a special recognition to our school counselors in honor of National School Counseling Week, which was Feb 1-5. Thanks to all who joined us in celebrating our amazing school counselors last week.
During the board meeting, Trustees will also consider the adoption of a Board Resolution urging Governor Greg Abbott to prioritize school district employees in the next round of COVID-19 vaccinations. While we respect every individual’s right to make their own healthcare-related decisions, we believe that public school employees should be eligible recipients of the vaccines, given the magnitude and importance of their roles.
Strategic Plan Town Hall Meeting at Lake Creek Rescheduled to March 4
Due to several district events needing to be postponed or rescheduled, the next Strategic Plan Town Hall meeting scheduled at Lake Creek High School will be held Thursday, March 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
We look forward to continued collaboration with stakeholders through the district strategic planning process.
Superintendent Shout-out: Joe Kinard and the MISD Maintenance Team
I want to give a special shout-out to Director of Maintenance Joe Kinard and his entire team for their tireless work over the past few days. They have been incredible, working around-the-clock to ensure our campuses are ready for in-person instruction on Monday. They have also stepped up for families by helping with staffing our warming shelter at Madeley Ranch ES. Please join me in showing your appreciation for our awesome maintenance team!
The MISD Premier Blog 