As of 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, Round Rock ISD announced the decision to cancel in-person classes on Thursday, Feb. 3, and Friday, Feb. 4 as a deluge of sub-zero temperatures, possible snowy conditions, and icy roads rapidly approach the city. Students will not participate in virtual or asynchronous learning during this time.

“I’m pretty excited about having no school,” Faith Chan ’23 said. “I didn’t have a lot of outages last [winter storm] so I’m not too worried about that this time. I’ll probably spend some time with my cat if it snows in my backyard. I think that doing [virtual or asynchronous learning] isn’t a good idea because there might be a power outage so what will happen then? I think everyone should just get a day off.”

The announcement was sent in an email to parents and teachers. Principal Dr. Mario Acosta also informed students about the change through a school-wide intercom announcement. The decision was made following various other school districts in the Austin area canceling school for the safety of students and staff regarding predicted snow and icy weather conditions.

“I’m really happy about it because it gives me a chance to rest and refresh after an overwhelming period of school but I’m nervous we’ll be behind when I’m back,” Avery Hixson ‘23 said. “It’s weird to have it so cold here cause I’ve lived here my whole life and I’m used to [having] it be 80 degrees in the winter. I don’t want there to be another winter storm, I’m scared my power and water will go out for another extended period of time like it was last year.”

All before and after school activities will also be canceled. Icy conditions will remain until next week, but whether the onset of the storm echoes last year’s tempest remains to be seen. To stay safe during the storm, visit KXAN’s website for more tips on weatherproofing your homes and instructions on how to handle this sudden change of weather. District updates can be found on Round Rock ISD’s Twitter account, @RoundRockISD.