NORTHSIDE ISD

Northside ISD junior advocating for 'Stop the Bleed' training for students

Dr. Brian Woods is leaving the city’s largest school district after 11 years. KSAT anchor Steve Spriester sits down with the Northside ISD superintendent to discuss why he’s leaving the district, school safety, and what Woods believes is the biggest threat to Texas public schools.

Second time was the charm for Medina Valley ISD; Prop B in Comal ISD only area bond voted down

Second time was the charm for Medina Valley ISD; Prop B in Comal ISD only area bond voted down

Alamo Heights ISD, Bandera ISD, Comal ISD, Medina Valley ISD and Southwest ISD all have major bonds on the ballot

School administrators and NISD police discovered a firearm in the student’s backpack.

Here’s a look at the races that are expected to be the most competitive matchups.

The winners of the 21st annual H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards have been announced and four of them were from San Antonio.

Northside Independent School District held a board meeting amid a rise in parental concern after three student arrests involving drugs, guns, and threats.

See every candidate, race on the ballot for the May 6, 2023 election in Bexar County.

The principal of Dr. Pat Henderson Elementary School has died, Northside ISD confirmed Friday afternoon.

Dr. John Craft, the current Killeen ISD superintendent, will replace Dr. Brian Woods who announced that he will retire at the end of this school year.

Northside ISD officials are alerting parents that a student at Brandeis High School has a confirmed case of tuberculosis and a student at Clark High School may have been exposed to the disease.

A Northside ISD bus driver dropped off a five-year-old boy at the wrong location Wednesday from Cable Elementary.

Northside Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods announced on Thursday that he will retire at the end of the school year in June.

Northside Independent School District Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Janis Jordan joined leading SA to talk about the return to the classroom and post-pandemic learning.

The O’Connor High School community is mourning the loss of a former student and football player.

Help is wanted across San Antonio for school bus drivers as a driver shortage leads to longer wait times for kids and bus routes being removed to adjust to the shortfall.

The energy of the first day of school is different.

As parents prepare to send their children back to school, there are a lot of questions and concerns. One of them is safety: will my child be safe at school, and what is being done to ensure this?

Northside ISD is set to open its 12th high school when classes start next week. KSAT 12 got a firsthand look at the new high school that was built to keep up with the growing population in the area.

School districts here at home and across the country are scrambling to fill teaching positions with class starting this month.

The Northside Independent School District is investigating how a second grader was found wandering along a busy road Monday afternoon.

Employees at multiple Northside Independent School District campuses have told the KSAT 12 Defenders in recent weeks that administrators relentlessly pressured them to vote on a May bond measure, tracked whether they had cast a ballot and in one instance threatened discipline if they failed to do so.

A Brennan High School student was arrested after making online threats to “shoot up” the school over low grades, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

The intersection at Palmetto Way and Rockwall Mill is sparking some concerns among Northside ISD faculty and parents.

Northside ISD officials on Monday defended their actions after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott indicated the district would be under investigation amid allegations that staff felt pressured to vote in Saturday’s bond election.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Northside ISD will be investigated by Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the Attorney General’s Office after leaked emails suggested that staffers were pressured to vote in Saturday’s bond election.

The Northside Independent School District is hoping some of its new hiring incentives will entice more teachers to apply for open positions.

Some San Antonio-area districts are trying to get ahead of the game with job fairs this weekend before the summer arrives.

Some Northside ISD students are doing big things in small spaces. Construction Careers Academy, located on the Warren High School campus, is hosting a tiny homes showcase Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The increases are being felt across the county, but the more affordable areas saw the largest increases as far as percentages.

Are you looking for something fun to do at home that has a little bit of science behind it?

Helping your child boost their future earning potential could start with simple steps like creative playing.

If you live in the area of Northside ISD, there is a $992 million question coming up in May.

One incident happened on Jan. 18, the other on Jan. 25. Officials said no threat was made toward campus in either case.

Several San Antonio-area school districts have announced closures for Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 due to the wintery weather forecast.

Northside Independent School District had to make changes to bus routes after thieves stole catalytic converters from 16 of its mini buses, according to district officials.

The past two days since returning from their holiday breaks, both Northside and North East Independent School Districts reported a combined total of about 2,000 teachers and staff who’d called in sick or absent Monday.

Parents of students in Northside ISD are concerned as San Antonio's largest school district comes back from winter break.

Northside Independent School District is providing free breakfast and lunch for children during the winter break.

Warren High School parents were notified Wednesday that district police officers found a gun in a student's backpack.

Northside Independent School District officials say three students from Brennan High School were involved in a five-vehicle crash in west Bexar County.

A Marshall High School student was in possession of ammunition on campus, officials said Friday.

San Antonio school districts say they're facing a shortage of cafeteria workers for school lunchrooms.

Northside Independent School District is relaxing its mask requirements starting next week.

Student athletes are being urged to be vigilant of their activities on and off the field to avoid missing out on school games.

Parents of Northside ISD students are frustrated and concerned about their children’s safety after the lack of bus drivers led to overcrowding on a Harlan High School bus in which students were sitting on each other.

COVID-19 cases at Bexar County school districts are increasing by the day as the fall semester gets underway, with several families already in quarantine because their children were exposed to COVID-19 at their campuses.

Mask mandates are in place at three major San Antonio school districts -- San Antonio ISD, Northside ISD, and Northeast ISD.

The largest school district in the San Antonio area said Wednesday they will not be enforcing a mask mandate, “for now,” despite a county-wide requirement issued Tuesday that students and teachers wear masks in public schools.

Northside ISD’s McClung Transportation Center is a busy place these days, from prepping buses for students to training drivers. At the same time, the district needs more drivers to fill those trainings.

School districts across Bexar County are expanding their summer school programs to help students who fell behind this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northside ISD has provided food, clothes, Wifi devices, iPads and counseling opportunities to families during home visits.

Results will begin to populate once polls close around 7 p.m.

San Antonio – It’s been a tough week for families, as the winter weather has left many without power and water. Northside ISD parent Efrain Castillo said although power has been restored to many households, it’s still tough finding food. “We couldn’t get online this week,” Castillo said. A spokesperson for NISD said families can reach out to their child’s school or teachers for information regarding additional assistance. RELATED: These San Antonio-area schools, daycares, colleges announce changes, closures due to wintry weather

SAN ANTONIO – Northside ISD Superintendent Brian Woods sent a letter to parents on Friday, asking them to consider waiting another week before sending students back to in-person learning due to the ongoing rise of COVID-19 cases in the area. “We had hoped to see an improvement in the city’s health metrics and allow students to return Feb. 1. “This applies to those who temporarily switched to virtual learning and those who had hoped to start in-person learning for the third grading cycle.”Woods said the district would determine the possibility of allowing additional in-person learners next week. The superintendent had previously urged parents to consider virtual learning for their kids through the end of January because of the surge in COVID-19 cases. Students who need a device to facilitate virtual learning will be able to get one from their child’s school.

SAN ANTONIO – A drive-thru COVID-19 testing site opened Monday on the city’s North Side. Northside ISD’s Dub Farris Athletic Complex is now open for anyone with or without COVID-19 symptoms to get a free test. The testing site will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You are encouraged to schedule an appointment but appointments are not required. The site is located at Loop 1604 at Hausman Road. You can find a list of other testing sites here.

SAN ANTONIO – This was a year unlike any other. To read more about all the fun and exciting things that are going on in and out of the classroom, head to KSAT’s kid-friendly zone, KSAT Kids. A 7-year-old boy in San Antonio has spent his time in quarantine helping other children learn math by way of a YouTube channel. A new book is catching the attention of Selena fans, especially those in the San Antonio area. When asked if the findings has convinced her to follow her mom’s advice, Sohn said, “Yeah, unfortunately.”Do you know someone who would benefit from KSAT Kids?

SAN ANTONIO – The three largest school districts in Bexar County will allow in-person learners to stay on campus as cases rise and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District puts the school risk level at “high.”Metro Health’s recommendations for high risk, which it posted online Monday, include not holding in-person instruction. Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD have both pumped the brakes somewhat on bringing more students back to campus. But both districts, along with Northeast ISD, say that students who are already on-campus will be able to stay there. San Antonio ISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez told staff in a letter on Monday that the district’s recorded positivity rate, based on its testing programs, is much lower - less than 1%. Chancellor also pointed to Metro Health data that shows just seven instances of cases transmitted in Bexar County schools this year.

SAN ANTONIO – A mother in San Antonio is weighing the COVID-19 risks of sending her son back to in-person learning at Northside ISD after struggling with online schooling. Last month, Northside ISD revealed that its failure rate was close to double compared to the previous year’s first grading period. Northside ISD parent Katrina Ashworth said her two children have been learning online this year due to COVID-19 concerns. For her 9-year-old son, learning at home has been a significant challenge. Northside ISD campus staff members monitor student engagement and performance and are setting up systems to support struggling students.

Northside ISD reported 191 student and 161 staff cumulative cases in the state’s last report for the week ending on Nov. 15. Staff cases went from 17 new cases in the Nov. 1-8 report to 44 new staff cases from Nov. 8-15. The state failed to add the district’s data for Nov. 8, but the NEISD website shows 15 new student cases and 17 new staff cases. The district reported 183 student cases and 49 staff cumulative cases on Nov. 15. NEISD reported 15 new student cases and 17 new staff cases for this period.

“Work to balance the need we have to ensure students and staff are kept safe with the need to address learning loss and instructional needs of individual students,” Perez said. Though unlike NISD, the district is continuing its outreach efforts to struggling virtual learners. The number of NEISD and NISD cases alone is 573 -- with more from NISD counting off-campus staff -- but the Metro Health data only shows 423 cases for all campuses so far. Asked about the discrepancy, a Metro Health spokeswoman said the data may just not have been reported to them yet. While neither NISD nor NEISD plan to force any of their in-person learners to return to virtual learning, both districts say parents may choose to make that switch.

NISD, NEISD have no plans to roll back in-person instructionPublished: November 17, 2020, 5:38 pmDespite new COVID-19 cases being reported at Northside ISD and NEISD, the districts don’t plan to make any big changes.

SAN ANTONIO – A Northside ISD bus was involved a minor crash on Friday morning, according to school district officials. The crash was reported near Babcock and Hamilton Wolfe Friday morning around 9 a.m. The bus had one driver and one student on board, Northside ISD spokesperson Barry Perez said. The high school student was not injured and was taken to school. The driver was taken to a medical clinic as a precaution, but no life-threatening injuries were reported, Perez said.

SAN ANTONIO – Southside Independent School District is struggling to find substitute teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharon Fuery, executive director of human resources and administration at Southside ISD, said there are several reasons substitute teachers are not returning this year. Northside ISD, Northeast ISD and San Antonio ISD said the substitute teacher shortage is not impacting their districts. North East ISD said it is always in need of substitute teachers and advertises for them year-round. San Antonio ISD said it is aware of the nationwide substitute teachers shortages, but it is not impacting its district.

SAN ANTONIO – More students will be returning to the classroom Monday at North East ISD and Northside ISD campuses, school officials said Wednesday. Only students whose parents or guardians previously signed up for in-person learning for the second grading period will be allowed to return to the classroom. Parents can still keep their children in virtual learning, and they may change learning environments for them every four weeks. Once the new students are back on campus, they must wear masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing. Northside ISD also plans to accept new students Monday for in-person learning.

SAN ANTONIO – A Northside ISD student is making a difference in San Antonio’s fight against the coronavirus, one stitch at a time. So his mother, Elizabeth Salinas, taught him how to sew face masks, according to NISD. His mother says, eventually, they began selling the face masks in mass quantities due to the high demand. To learn more about Mateo’s face masks, visit his Facebook page here. RELATED: Face masks have gone from basic necessities to fashion accessories

If you are feeling fine and plan on going to a game, here are five things you need to be aware of:1. Many school districts have gone to online ticketing as a way to keep track of the number of fans in the stands. Fans will be able to enjoy some of the staples of high school football games: nachos, popcorn, soft drinks. “People will be hearing announcements coming over like during timeouts and change of possession and things like that,” Parker said. To keep up with the latest on high school football, check out Big Game Coverage.

SAN ANTONIO – Northside Independent School District parents and guardians must notify the district through a survey by midnight on Wednesday whether their child will do in-person or virtual learning. The second quarter of school begins on Oct. 19, and the district says it’s prepared for more students. And we can provide it to them,” said Sandra Bonnett, executive director of elementary administration at Northside ISD. The district said more than 11,000 students are doing in-person learning. His daughter, who is in second grade, started in-person learning on Monday.

of State Health Services and the Texas Education Agency released its first set of numbers Thursday for confirmed COVID-19 cases in public schools across the state. The total count of on-campus staff cases during the same period is 2,175 confirmed cases out of just over 800,000. Greg Abbott expands business capacity, keeps bars closedLast month, the TEA and state health department collaborated to create a new system to monitor and report confirmed cases across Texas. School systems started to report confirmed cases to state health officials this month. The San Antonio Metro Health Department initially required Bexar County school districts to report positive cases on the districts’ websites.

SAN ANTONIO – Forbes released its list for best companies to work for in 2020 and two San Antonio school districts made the top 50 list for Texas. According to the NISD page, 106,863 students are currently enrolled in one of the district’s 120 schools. Also formed in 1949, NEISD is the second-largest school district in San Antonio. “It is an honor to be recognized by Forbes and Statista, however, it is beyond an honor that our employees put NEISD on this prestigious list.” said NEISD Superintendent Sean Maika. MethodologySurveys and responses were collected from Oct. 2019 to May 2020 to determine which employers made the list.

SAN ANTONIO Students with San Antonios Northside Independent School District are having issues logging in on the first day of school. Officials with the district posted on Facebook around 8 a.m. saying the MyNISD portal is down and that a resolution is currently in the works. This does not appear to be a district network or bandwidth issue.Officials are asking for patience while vendors work to find a resolution. We are working with our vendor on a resolution. Posted by Northside ISD on Monday, August 24, 2020The student tech support hotline, (210) 397-0020, is currently giving a busy signal.

SAN ANTONIO – Margarita Santellanes is an employee with a work ethic that many could learn from. “Margie,” is what she’s known by, and at her school she is a grandmother to everyone. She also has set-up motivational signs throughout the pandemic, making sure all the kids feel special when they drive by her school. “We got a lot of compliments from families when they saw all those signs Margie put up,” Siano said. “We need to make sure they are safe here.”

Now is the time to determine if you are selecting the virtual learning model or in-person learning for your student. As San Antonio’s largest school district of choice, Northside ISD is preparing to head back to school this fall on Aug. 24 with all virtual learning. “At our high schools, the in-person option will actually be an alternating hybrid model. Once it’s safe to have students in the buildings, the schools will need a schedule for the students based on virtual learning and in-person learners. Northside is home to more than 106,000 students in 120 schools, including its high school and middle school magnets.

Episode 7 of KSAT Explains dives into what school will look like when students return this fall and the safety concerns from administrators, educators and parents.

SAN ANTONIO Condolences have been pouring in for a Leon Valley Elementary School cafeteria manager who died of COVID-19. Michelle Villarreal, has worked at the school since she was hired in January 2010, Northside ISD officials said. Villarreal was featured in a Northside ISD video about the districts efforts to distribute free meals to families soon after the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools in San Antonio. Thanks to everyone, like Michelle Villarreal, who is making sure NISD continues to be there for students & families. #NISDFamily pic.twitter.com/RfDv4iy4gI Northside ISD (@NISD) March 24, 2020Related stories:

SAN ANTONIO – Despite an assurance from the Texas Education Agency that schools could offer remote-only instruction without losing funding, Boerne ISD plans to go forward with an option for students to attend in person. According to school district officials, families can choose to do traditional in-person learning or the Boerne E-learning option for their students. The school year for Boerne ISD is slated to begin August 12. According to Boerne ISD, parents can make their selection in their child’s Skyward Family Access Account and will need to make a separate selection for each child in the family. San Antonio doctor, teacher, psychologist weigh in‘It’s going to be an all hands on deck situation,’: Northside ISD superintendent says on school reopenings

SAN ANTONIO – Northside ISD and North East ISD will delay holding in-person instruction for students at the start of the new school year. Instead, both school districts will utilize distance learning for students in an effort to stay safe and limit the spread of the coronavirus. Northside ISD will begin its 2020-2021 school year Monday, Aug. 24 with distance learning. According to school district officials, there will be no in-person instruction until at least the Tuesday after Labor Day, which is Sept. 8. The school district said it will also offer assistance to families that may not have devices or internet for their children to use for distance learning.

On Sunday, Northside ISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods joined Leading SA to speak about the plan in place as schools prepare for reopening. I think it enables us to provide a much safer experience for both staff and students, Dr. Woods said. If the Northside ISD school district had a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 case, Dr. Woods said a closure or quarantine of some sort would be imminent. And if they dont, we can do distance learning in an effective way thats safe for everybody, Dr. Woods said. The full interview with Dr. Woods can be viewed in the video player above.

AUSTIN, Texas A black activist who was critically injured after he was shot by Austin police with less-lethal ammunition has been identified by family as Justin Howell, a 20-year-old Texas State University student who recently graduated from Communications Arts High School in San Antonio. GoFundMe information for Taft Band alumni Justin Howell injured in Austin this week. Texas State President Denise Trauth also issued a statement on Twitter confirming Howell is currently a student. Today, I learned one of our students, Justin Howell, was critically injured in a protest in Austin on Sunday, May 31. Howell blasted Manley in the op-ed for failing to take responsibility or apologize to his family and the group of protesters carrying his brother.

SAN ANTONIO – Northside ISD will not host in-person graduation ceremonies at the Alamodome and will instead have a safe, contactless graduation recognition event at each high school the week of June 15. For the Class of 2020, the District is allowing graduates to wear cords and stoles from outside organizations for personal achievements. Graduates are asked to opt-in if they choose to participate in this campus event by completing an online Google form. The Google link will also be available on each high school campus website. A virtual graduation video will be issued to students in early July.

"It's a perfect storm, unfortunately, for the perpetrators of these types of crimes." Child abuse is a serious issue facing the city, respondents said. (KSAT)Now that children are no longer in school or the public eye, perpetrators can hide abuse, McGibeny said. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reports fiscal years 2019 and 2018 each saw nine child abuse fatalities in Bexar County. Click here to learn how you can report child abuse.

SAN ANTONIO – The vast majority of the 107,0000 students in the Northside Independent School District are engaged in distance learning due to the COVID-19 crisis, officials said. While 92% of students are participating in online learning, it’s the remaining 8% of students who aren’t connected that worry district officials. Ridgley said many times it’s not just the lack of technology that’s keeping students from distance learning. "What we want to do is really make sure that we're wrapping services around the families," Ridgley said. "If they've not reached out in some distance learning assignments, then there's clearly some barriers that we got to try to alleviate for the families."

Gun found in vehicle at John Jay High School, officials sayPublished: December 19, 2019, 5:26 pmA social media tip led to the discovery of a handgun in a car at John Jay High School on Thursday, according to Northside Independent School District officials.

SAN ANTONIO – A social media tip led to the discovery of a handgun in a car at John Jay High School on Thursday, according to Northside Independent School District officials. The social media post was reported to campus administrators, who were able to identify the 17-year-old student and his vehicle. Report: Police found drugs, AK-47 in student’s car near Madison High SchoolAuthorities found a handgun in the car along with a pill they have not yet identified. An arrest was not made Thursday, but officials said charges may still be filed at a later date. The teen did not make any threats, officials said.

Teen who says he was kicked by Warren football coach has fractured leg, medical records showPublished: December 17, 2019, 5:17 pmA Warren High School student who claims the school’s head football coach kicked him in October has a fractured leg that could take up to nine months to heal, according to medical records related to the injury viewed by the KSAT 12 Defenders.

SAN ANTONIO – Northside ISD elementary students were treated to a shopping trip Tuesday morning, courtesy of John Jay High School students. “Just pick anything y’all want,” Victoria Cruz, a sophomore at John Jay High School told the two fourth graders from Mary Hull elementary she was helping during the shopping trip at Walmart. Each were paired up with a student from John Jay High School. John Jay High School students helped them figure out how much they can get. That money is raised and donated by John Jay High School students and the community.

Northside ISD elementary students were treated to a shopping trip Tuesday morning, courtesy of John Jay High School students. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241.

SAN ANTONIO – Northside Independent School District police took a 16-year-old student into custody Monday morning after they found a weapon on him, according to officials. At 9:30 a.m., O’Connor High School administrators received information indicating the student could be in possession of a weapon. “Within minutes, campus police and administration located the student who cooperated fully and surrendered the weapon without incident,” officials wrote in a news release. Missing San Antonio man believed to be in danger, foul play suspectedThe weapon was not identified in the news release. “O’Connor HS administration and counselors are working together to ensure students and staff are being cared for accordingly,” officials wrote in the news release.