Education
BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ
South Austin elementary school food pantry opens
AISD gets cameras to prevent bus passing Video cameras will be installed on the outside of Austin ISD school buses to record vehicles passing when the stop-sign arm is being used, as part of an initiative to prevent illegal passing of school buses. What you need to know Only 294 out of 555 AISD school buses had cameras installed, as of the time of the Jan. 30 board meeting. Those with on-camera o enses are ned $300. If caught by an o cer, a person can be ned anywhere from $500 to $1,250. Repeat o enders may have their driver’s licenses suspended for up to six months. In the 2024-25 academic year so far, there have been over 3,100 violations, according to agenda documents.
Galindo Elementary School celebrated the o cial opening of a food pantry on campus during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 14. The details The food pantry o ers fresh produce, protein, shelf-stable products, dairy and other pantry sta- ples received from the Central Texas Food Bank. Austin ISD parent Linda Santos said the pantry, which is available for all Austin ISD families to use, opens the door for families to access essentials such as food. “The word is ‘opportunity,’” she said. “I think the goal here is to keep the opportunity to ask for help and get help. Our kids are the end goal.” Travis County faces a childhood food insecurity rate of 20.9%, which is higher than the 17.9% national average, CTFB o cials said. An estimated 61% of students at Galindo Ele- mentary rely on free or reduced lunch and about 88% live in an economically disadvantaged home,
AISD parent Linda Santos spoke at Galindo Elementary.
ELISABETH JIMENEZ COMMUNITY IMPACT
according to CTFB. Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said the pantry will help address food insecurity in Galindo and across the district.
The My ATX Water Program Austin Water launched a new smart water meter across the city. This program involves upgrading traditional water meters to digital ones connected to a wireless network. My ATX Water also includes a customer tool that offers near- real time water use information, leak alerts, emergency notifications, water conservation tips, and customizable features. program called My ATX Water
Austin’s Smart Water Meter System
AustinWater.org
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