Marlin ISD to consider move to 5-day school week to make up for time lost during ongoing water issues

MARLIN, Texas (KWTX) -Residents of Marlin are becoming increasingly frustrated as water leaks in the city continue to worsen.

Due to these ongoing challenges, the school district is now considering permanent adjustments.

Marlin ISD will consider a move back to a 5-day school week to make up for hours missed in session due ongoing water issues in the city, according to Marlin ISD Superintendent Dr. Darryl Henson.

Dr. Henson told KWTX over the phone that the district needs to change something to make sure students do not fall behind since they’ve had to miss multiple instructional days.

The school district in a social media post, said, “Unfortunately, this is the seventh school day Marlin ISD has had to close this year due to no or low water pressure on our campuses. While we will be applying for a Missed School Day Waiver from TEA, we understand the significant impact these closures have on our students’ education.”

The school district says they will keep parents informed.

For residents, the struggle goes beyond school closures.

Many have resorted to carpooling to gather water, and some are facing difficulty finding water resources due to the increased demand.

“It’s hard for me to even get rides to come and get the water,” Marlin resident Paulette Young explained.

Community members have rallied together, distributing donated water on a daily basis to help those in need.

Jay Butler, an organizer of the efforts, called for more action from officials.

“Our Marlin people keep going through the same thing we are going through all the time, and I know we’ve been going through this since 2010, and it was really bad in 2015. We’re still at that point,” Butler said.

Mayor Pro-Tem Debra A. Levels-McDavid, who spoke with residents as they picked up water, is pushing for an emergency city council meeting to provide an update and clarification on what steps officials will take next.

“The city council needs to be updated,” McDavid said. “We need some clarification, we need to ask questions and get answers so that when the public is asking us various questions concerning the water situation, we can give correct information.”

KWTX has reached out to Marlin Mayor Susan Byrd and has not heard anything back.

KWTX also did reach out to various officials who represent marlin at the state level.

We have reached out to Representative Angela Orr, and we are waiting to hear what her office says.

Senator Brian Birdwell says his office has been working with numerous state agencies to find the main cause of the leaks along with TCEQ.

Congressman Pete Sessions’ office says they have secured a water smart grant as a temporary fix, but they are still working to find a long-term solution.

This is a developing story.