Although Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles was clearly not pleased about Tuesday’s release of information about his regrets about closing schools on Tuesday –– he referred to them as “off-the-record remarks” — by Wednesday he seemed to accept if not embrace the chance to further explain his stance on keeping schools open even with bad weather.
As reported first in the Houston Press, Miles told members of the District Advisory Committee Tuesday afternoon that if he had to do it all over again, he would not have closed the schools Tuesday. Comparing HISD to police, fire and hospitals and the military in times of war, he said if schools are an essential part of society — which he believes they are — then it is crucial they stay open.
In the Wednesday press conference, in which he repeated many of the explanations he gave the DAC members Tuesday, he defined essential serves as those who provide an essential public service “the absence of which would do great harm to the community.”
He said he was not saying HISD should never close schools, “I’m saying we should be slow to do that.” As long as people can drive on the roads with care, schools should stay open, he said.
He emphasized once again, that if schools are closed, parents had no choice as to what to do with their kids. By keeping schools open, parents can decide for themselves if they want their children to be in school.
Students whose parents decide to keep them out on weather days, will be excused, Miles said, and will make up the work later. Teachers, however, will not have that same option, he said.
Students whose parents decide to keep them out on weather days, will be excused and will make up the work later. Teachers, however, will not have that same option.
If school is open, he said, teachers must be there and if the driving is treacherous, they can make their way slowly and carefully to their campus. “Drive slowly, leave early.”
He again emphasized that “Our parents need us to be at school so that they can be at work.” He said that some students were left alone in their homes on Tuesday, without a hot meal or without power, in some cases babysitting for younger siblings while their parents had to go to work.
He said that on Tuesday, “Most of Houston went to work. Most of our parents of our kids went to work.
In response to a question , he said he appreciated Mayor John Whitmire’s advice to close the schools. He said he had not talked to Whitmire on Wednesday. “I appreciate his advice. He has a hard job too and he has a bigger area than I have and he has to make a decision for his employees and the people that work for the city and also have to pay attention to all kinds of things that I don’t have to pay attention to.
“He made a decision for the city. I think he gave me good advice, advice that he offered I appreciate. At the same time I have to over time build a culture of essentialness and there’s only one way to build a culture of essentialness.
According to Miles, in order for him to build this culture, he has to be consistent in his decisions. “Because any time I’m not, it diminishes the culture of essentialness. That is something I’m going to have to consider going forward. “
He told the DAC that he thought fears about the icy weather were exaggerated but when asked who this was Wednesday, he declined to be specific other than to say he was not referring to the mayor. He once again said he appreciated Whitmire’s advice and his support for the school district.
“I erred on the side of if the roads could not be traversed, it might cause some safety issues for our teachers and our families,” he said. “When I’m considering the culture of essentialness, that should have been a heavier weight than it was.”
Each weather event will be considered as it occurs, Miles said. “It’s not a hard and fast rule. There’s different weather conditions and whether or not people can safely traverse the roads. I think we wait to see. I am saying that a culture of essentialness is something we need to act upon and given the same conditions as they were [Tuesday] … I would choose a culture of essentialness and keep the schools open.”
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
