SMCISD’s Failure to Communicate Leads to Policy Changes

by Holly Ratcliff

San Marcos CISD received numerous complaints in response to their lack of communication during this Monday’s inclement weather. Parents hesitated to send their children to school when they were left in the dark, without clear notification or verification.

By 9:32 a.m., San Marcos CISD posted the following statement:

“San Marcos CISD has not cancelled classes on Monday, April 18, nor was there a delay. Administrators were in contact with City and County officials throughout the night and followed their recommendations. We only send out district wide communication if there is a change in the normal schedule.”

Unfortunately, their claim came too late as locals began discussing their frustration with the school district’s initial silence.

The San Marcos Educators group, a local affiliate of the Texas State Teachers Association, posted this in response to the situation:

“At what point is the safety of our staff and students THE TOP priority in SMCISD? It was no surprise that bad weather was coming. It was the major news story. Every district in the Austin area took action and prepared by issuing a 2 [hour] delay. However, once again SMCISD chose to push on, putting our staff and children at risk. This is unacceptable.”

Another one of the group’s members, explained that “A delay would have helped out a lot! Living in Martindale and having to take one to SMHS (San Marcos High School) and the other to [Owen] Goodnight [Middle School] was a nightmare.”

“There needs a be a forum online where we can go for weather updates for the whole district, not just one school. Letting us know that we are proceeding with [the] normal schedule or having a delay or [cancellation]… Bad weather was predicted… Kyle and Wimberley were on their A game. SMCISD needs to work on this. Safety for parents, bus drivers, kids, teachers needs to come first,” echoed an additional citizen.

San Marcos CISD does claim to determine its delays and cancellations based on the best interests of their students and staff, putting forth the following procedures to determine the most proficient mode of action in cases of potentially dangerous weather:

“District officials will call the San Marcos police department and Hays County sheriff’s department for road conditions and related information. District officials will travel area roads and bridges to evaluate their condition. If conditions are questionable, the Director of Transportation will contact the appropriate District official by 5:30 a.m. to relay the condition of roads, bridges, etc. The Superintendent of Schools will be briefed and a decision will be made by 5:45 a.m. to either delay opening of schools or cancel classes. A delayed opening means classes will start at 10:00 a.m. Any decision made will be relayed to the District’s Public Information Officer who will then contact local TV and radio stations.”

By contrast, Austin ISD (AISD) follows these procedures:

“If AISD has compelling information the day before the anticipated inclement weather, the district will make a decision before 9 p.m., if at all possible. If AISD does not have such information by 9 p.m. the day before, the next update and decision point will be the next day by approximately 6 a.m.”

It would seem that AISD does implement more active measures on evenings prior to potential storms, while SMCISD begins their assessment earlier in the morning. In the future, SMCISD could turn to AISD’s policies to further improve their own.

In the span of several hours, SMCISD reported that they would now “start adding the ‘no changes today’ message on suspect weather days to the SMCISD [website] and Facebook page.”

As April showers continue to storm through Central Texas, parents with children enrolled in SMCISD schools will have to wait and see if the district earns their trust in the new and improved plan for communication. This updated system will likely be put to the test in the weeks to come.